Queens Tribune Epaper by Michael Nussbaum

Vol. 41, No. 16 April 21-27, 2011

PAGE 42

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The body of Sgt. Jose M. Caraballo Pietri is transferred to Dover Air Force Base in preparation for his funeral in Puerto Rico, where his wife from Queens was set to meet her in-laws for the ﬁrst time. By Jason Banrey…Page 3

INSIDE

Operator Stiffed City For $500K: Comptroller Audit

Alan Hevesi Gets 1-4 Years Prison For Taking Gifts

Forest Park Eyed For Expanded Entertainment

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Deadline...................................................................3 Editorial ...................................................................6 Not 4 Publication ....................................................8 This Week ..............................................................10 Police Blotter ........................................................12 Closeup .................................................................13 Trib Pix...................................................................16 Leisure ...................................................................25 Queens Today .......................................................26 Focus .....................................................................32 Classifieds.............................................................33 Confidential ...........................................................42

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Queens Family Mourns War’s Cost By JASON BANREY Stepping onboard a plane for Puerto Rico last Sunday, Carol Nunez of Corona prepared to meet her in-laws for the first time. She had always looked forward to meeting her husband's parents, imagining the joyous occasion. The reality of the meeting, however, was filled with sorrow and loss - an experience she would have to endure without the companionship of her husband. On April 10, Nunez's husband, Sgt. Jose M. Caraballo Pietri, 32, died in the Badghis Province in Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. "Since last Sunday, my life has changed 100 percent," Nunez said last Thursday, looking beyond the window pane in search of answers. Candlelight flickered through a light breeze reflecting off the first photo the couple took after getting married in 2008. "Now that my angel is gone, I have no clue what to do." The young couple moved to Corona in January with the hopes of finally settling down and beginning their lives together in Queens, though Pietri never set foot in the borough. Nunez planned to enroll in Plaza College for an Associates degree in Medical Assisting while Pietri finished his last tour in Afghani-

stan, returning home within the year. The couple would then have children. Excited that a temporary leave was approved for May, Pietri sent the last email he would ever write to his wife, ensuring her he was safe and that he would soon be returning home to Queens. The next day, Nunez received a knock on the front door of their new apartment. That knock would forever change her world and the life she and her husband planned on sharing. "As soon as I saw them I just knew," Nunez said of the two Casualty Assistance Contact Officers who showed up that Sunday afternoon. "They didn't have to tell me anything; I just knew he was gone." Pietri was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico before enlisting in the United States Army after finishing college. While enlisted, he was given the opportunity to travel to more than 24 countries before being stationed at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, where he met his wife in 2007. "[Pietri] loved what he did," Nunez said of her husband's 14 years of military service. "It gave him opportunities he had only dreamed of as a child. He was proud to be serving his country." In 2008, he spent a year in Iraq. After safely returning back to base in Alaska, Pietri was compelled by the call of duty and decided

Many Boro Crossings Get Countdown Lights Tribune Photo by Domenick Rafter

Prices Idle, Listings Up In Boro Buyers’ Market By JASON BANREY The results are in. According to a home sales report released by Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, which analyzes the quarterly survey of residential sales in Queens, the borough's real estate market seems to be preparing for a boom for buyers. Price indicators were mixed. The median sales price of a property in Queens in the first quarter was $350,000, up 1.4 percent while the average sales price slipped slightly to $387,725 from $391,444 in the same period last year. Although there were not any major shifts in the results, Adriano Hultmann, associate broker for Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, said the report shows that the market is not fully stable yet. These changes have become a concern for individuals who have been thinking of selling their residential properties in the past couple of years. "To someone that is thinking of selling, there is a lot of competition out there," Hultmann added. "So [they] have to carefully plan how their house will stand out in this market." Overall, sales dropped 16.5 percent below the same quarter last year, with a drop from 3,113 to 2,598. "The major factor contributing to this result seems to be that the Queens buyers are not sure if the economy has stabilized yet," Hultmann said. "Although there are a lot of

buyers looking and willing to purchase, they are waiting for a bit more stability to settle in the market." Additional factors, such as the harsh long winter that kept buyers home, a lack of new construction throughout the borough and buyers holding out for the right product have also contributed to this decrease, Hultmann said. On the rise were active listings, which rose 11.8 percent to 13,609 despite the decline in the number of sales, leading to a growing disparity between inventory and sales. Hultmann said this is normal for the end of the first annual quarter. "In April the selling season starts, because it is the time when [properties] are put into the market," Hultmann said. "Typically the new products are resale [properties] and not new constructions. Sellers that need to sell but have been waiting to sell for the last two years have decided that now is the time." Despite mixed results and minor changes within residential sales and prices, Hultmann says the report proves there will be plenty openings within Queens for buyers ready to make an investment. "Although there are more properties in the market today than there were a couple of months ago," Hultmann said, "there is a lot of opportunity out there for buyers. If you are serious about buying, get ready." Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 128.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 3

By DOMENICK RAFTER Countdown clocks are coming to some of the busiest crosswalks throughout the borough. The City Dept. of Transportation announced that more than a dozen busy corridors in Queens would get pedestrian countdown clocks in addition to the areas that have already seen them put to use. The clocks will not be at every intersection along the corridor, just ones that meet federally mandated criteria. The corridors include the Countdown clocks, like this one at Queens Boulevard entire length of Queens Bou- and 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, are coming to more levard from Van Dam Street intersec tions around the borough. in Long Island City to Jamaica, including Rego Park and Forest Hills, Northern Boulevard, Utopia Parkway and home to some of the most notoriously dan- Woodhaven Boulevard. Small stretches of 188th Street, Hillside gerous intersections where pedestrians have Avenue, Jewel Avenue, Kissena Boulevard, been killed in the past. The thoroughfare's intersections with Liberty Avenue, Parsons Boulevard and 63rd Road, 66th Avenue, and 67th Avenue Seagirt Boulevard will also get countdown in Rego Park and 70th Avenue, 78th Av- lights. Countdown clocks have already been inenue, and Yellowstone Boulevard in Forest stalled along some of these corridors. Hills will get countdown clocks. Omitted from the list are busy thorough"I am absolutely thrilled that the Dept. of Transportation has finally taken action on fares including Bell Boulevard in Bayside, this longstanding concern of my constitu- Rockaway Boulevard in Southern Queens ents," said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi and Steinway Street in Astoria, all of which (D-Forest Hills). "The installation of these did not meet the criteria for countdown countdown clocks is a major safety feat not clocks, the DOT said. A total of 1,500 countdown clocks will only for my neighbors, but also the thousands of people that travel Queens Boule- be installed citywide. No additional countdown clocks are planned, but a DOT spokesvard daily." Other byways included in total or in man said there could be more if the need part are 23rd Avenue, 34th Avenue, 164th calls for them. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at Street, Atlantic Avenue, Astoria Boulevard, Hempstead Avenue, Jamaica Av- drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357enue, Main Street, Merrick Boulevard, 7400, Ext. 125.

to enlist for another tour; this time, he hinted to Nunez, the stakes would be much higher. "After he came back safely from Iraq, he told me he was going to enlist for another tour," Nunez said. "Only this time he told me it would be more dangerous. This time it would be in Afghanistan. I wasn't surprised." During his two months in Afghanistan, Pietri was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment, part of the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Although Nunez always knew there was a possibility her husband would be put in the line of fire, it was a fear she always believed would never hit this close to home. Last December, while on temporary leave, Pietri visited his parents in Puerto Rico - it would be the last time they would embrace him. When Pietri's mother found out her son passed, she told Nunez about the last moment she shared with her son. Sgt. Jose M. Caraballo Pietri and Carol "After [Pietri] hugged his mother, she Nunez of Corona on their wedding day. said she had a strange feeling it would be the last time they would see each other," killed in action is devastating." Nunez said. "It was true. It was the last time Although Cook never served with Pietri she would hold her son." in the Middle East, he was sure his dedication According to friends, Pietri's dedication to the armed forces was one he held dearly to the military was an honor he carried with while serving on the field of duty. pride. "He was a dedicated soldier," Cook said. Timothy Cook was stationed in Alaska "I have no doubt he served his country with with Pietri. Cook recalled Pietri's kind- pride until the end." hearted nature and the caring quality he Pietri's funeral was held on Wednesday in showed to everyone who had the pleasure of Puerto Rico. In honor of nearly 15 years of making his acquaintance. dedicated service, he was posthumously pro"I just broke down and started crying moted to staff sergeant. when I found out," Cook said, after being Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at notified about his longtime friend's death. jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357"To find out your best friend has just been 7400, Ext. 128.

OF THE T he Queens Tribune and its advertisers take pleasure in once again presenting

our “Mother of the Year Contest.” Our Mother’s Day Issue will feature winning entries plus thoughts of 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. Mother's Day Prizes Include:

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 29, 2011. Enclose a photo of mom or mom and her kid(s) where possible (sorry they can't be returned.) Mail entries to “Mother of the Year” Queens Tribune, 15050 14th Road, Whitestone, NY 11357.

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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-inlaw 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!)

Mom's Day Mets Tickets & Over $1,000 In Prizes Prizes Include: Becky’s Nail, Fresh Meadows: Ranju’s, Whitestone: Papazzio, Bayside: Arpi’s Spa, Fresh Meadows: Three Brothers Butcher, Bayside: Maggie Moo, Bayside: VI PIZZA, Bayside: Maria’s Greek Fusion, Bayside: Crepe & Tearia, Fresh Meadows: La Bottega, Bayside: Riviera Ristorante, Whitestone:

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OVER $1,000 IN PRIZES Attach this or a facsimile to your entry

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 29, 2011. 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.

Hevesi Jailed For Corruption By JOSEPH OROV IC Alan Hevesi was sentenced to one-to-four years in prison on Friday for his role in a payto-play corruption scheme that ran rampant during his tenure as State Comptroller. Hevesi pleaded guilty to a felony count of official misconduct on Oct. 7, 2010. A fouryear investigation by then-Attorney General and current Gov. Andrew Cuomo netted numerous Hevesi cohorts with charges of wheeling and dealing financial and political favors in exchange for access to the state’s $141 billion pension fund. Hevesi could spend less than a year in prison, given good behavior. “I am truly sorry for my illegal conduct,” Hevesi reportedly said before being sentenced. “First and foremost I want to apologize to the people of New York State who put their faith and confidence in me to serve them honorably. I violated their trust.” In his plea, Hevesi admitted to reaping nearly $1 million in benefits after doling out $250 million in state pension fund investment to Markstone Capital Partners, which was managed by Hevesi fundraiser and pal Elliott Broidy. “In exercising my discretion as Comptroller to approve these deals, I gave preferential treatment to Markstone and Broidy, who was a friend of mine and political fundraiser for my campaign,” Hevesi said in his allocution before the court. The sentencing came after months of delays, as Hevesi’s attorney Bradley Simon contested the original Judge, Lewis Bart Stone, had a conflict of interest in sentencing the former Queens Assemblyman due to a personal relationship with Simon’s father. Stone gave in to the request he recuse himself from the case, handing the sentencing to

integrity, you cannot quantify Justice Michael Obus. the harm done to the bond The sentencing was delayed a between the government and second time, after Simon said the People when public integHevesi was hospitalized for interrity is compromised. […] We nal bleeding. Further reports and must continue to root out corcomments by Simon have not ruption wherever it may be shed new light on his condition. found.” “I don’t think it’s an exagBroidy himself pleaded geration to suggest to Your guilty to a felony charge of Honor that a prison sentence of rewarding official misconduct Mr. Hevesi, with his medical conin 2009. ditions, could possibly be a death Disgraced Comptroller The nearly $1 million in sentence for him,” Simon told Alan Hevesi’s prison inbenefits Hevesi knowingly reJustice Michael Obus. take photo. ceived included $75,000 in Cuomo welcomed the verdict, but said it must serve as a lesson for a travel junkets to Israel, Italy and California for himself, his family and other Comptroller continuing fight against corruption. “It is important to bear in mind the heavy officials. The expenses included first-class toll of public integrity offenses,” he said. airfare, luxury hotel suites, a helicopter tour, “Just as you cannot put a price on public and security detail.

Broidy hid the expenses through charitable organizations and false invoices to the Comptroller’s office, all under Hevesi’s cognizance. Another $380,000 of the benefits went toward a friend of Hank Morris, Hevesi’s campaign manager, via a sham consulting agreement. Another $500,000 was allocated toward Hevesi’s re-election campaign – one which ended in victory only to be followed by his resignation after pleading guilty to defrauding the government by using a Stateemployed driver for personal reasons. Hevesi also acknowledged Morris’s habit of soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for doing business with the Comptroller’s office. Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

Audit Puts Brakes On Boro Carousels By DOMENICK RAFTER The company that ran two Queens carousels took the city and its customers for more than just a ride on its decoratively-painted horses. According to an audit done by City Comptroller John Liu, the company that operates the carousel in Flushing Meadows Corona Park and operated the Forest Park carousel until 2009, New York One, overcharged customers, violated health codes, maintained little to no records of its cash transactions and may have gipped the city taxpayers. As part of its contract with the city, New York One was required to pay the higher amount of either a flat fee or a percentage of its sales; 10 percent for the two Queens carousels, and 20 percent for the carousel in Central Park,

which it also operated. The company consistently declared the flat fee to be higher, but auditors in Liu’s office found the company kept such poor sales records of tickets, food and souvenirs, that it was impossible to determine if the flat fee was higher in 2008 and 2009. Beyond that, the audit found that the operator owes the city more than $450,000 in money allocated for repairs and restoration at the Forest Park carousel, as well as the Central Park carousel in Manhattan. New York One also charged more than Parks Dept. guidelines suggest, according to the audit. New York One is also accused of unsanitary vending conditions. Its food vendors in Flushing Meadows Corona Park were not licensed by the Dept. of Health.

The audit also hit the Parks Dept. as well, accusing the agency of failing to adequately monitor the company’s operations of the carousels. “This contractor needs to straighten itself out,” Liu said. “The Parks Department needs to monitor the company to ensure taxpayers are getting their due or find someone who is up to the job.” Scott Siebel, a spokesman for Liu, said the audit wasn’t triggered by anything in particular and was just part of a standard series of audits done by the Comptroller on companies doing business with the city. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125.

BestWishes

to all our friends and neighbors for a very

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Happy and Healthy

Edit Page In Our Opinion:

He Was One Of Us War, a soldier’s dedication to his country and our borough’s rich immigrant culture blended together in the most unfortunate of circumstances last week. A U.S. soldier from Puerto Rico and his Dominican bride met in Alaska, wed and started to plan their lives together. Sgt. Jose M. Caraballo Pietri had served a tour in Iraq. Seeing the needs of his brothers in arms, he re-enlisted for a second tour, this time headed to Afghanistan. In the meantime his wife, Carol Nunez, moved to Corona; looking for a place the couple could call home, they chose Queens. When Sgt. Caraballo Pietri was killed in an attack last week, Nunez needed to make plans to fly to Puerto Rico for her husband’s funeral. This was to be the first time she had a chance to meet her in-laws. Though heartbreaking, their tale speaks volumes about our nation, our military and Queens. This young couple was looking for opportunity, striving to be good Americans and planning their future. Their story has played out time and again in our borough, from one generation to the next. Sgt. Caraballo Pietri may have never set foot in our borough, and the Dept. of Defense may still have listed him as living in Puerto Rico, but Queens was his home. We mourn the loss of one of our own and ask that our brave men and women serving overseas come home safe – and soon.

In Your Opinion:

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Stay On Task To The Editor: I’d like to share with you my initial reaction to the President’s speech on Wednesday regarding our nation’s long-term fiscal health. I should state at the beginning that I was fearful of what the President might say. I believe, and have said throughout his presidency, that President Obama has not defended his positions aggressively enough, that he has not stood up to partisan attacks and smears with nearly enough gumption, and that in negotiation after negotiation, he’s too often lost more than he’s gained. On the health-care bill, on the extension of the Bush tax cuts for billionaires and most recently on the continuing resolution to keep the government open, I think the President’s willingness to compromise and his determination to play fair has only encouraged his political opponents to demand more and more. And the American people have been stuck with the costs of these errors. So I feared the worst. I worried that, in yet another effort to seem more than reasonable, in yet another misguided attempt to meet the other side more than half-way, he would give away the most essen-

tial elements of decent and progressive government. I dreaded the possibility that he would make a fatal mistake and open the door to unthinkable cuts in the social safety net our nation has established over the course of nearly a century of constant struggle. He didn’t. Instead of caving, the President stood up for fundamental fairness and proposed smart reforms that will, if adopted, put our government on a sound financial footing, and preserve the guarantees we make to the elderly, the weak, the sick and the poor. Naturally, those who opposed the creation of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are going howl in protest. Their goal since the New Deal has been to privatize Social Security; their fixed purpose since the Great Society has been to gut Medicare and Medicaid. The Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee has recently introduced a budget plan that would achieve some of these disgraceful objectives. This legislative obscenity was actually put to a vote on Friday. As the President correctly put it, the question of our nation’s fiscal health is also a question of our nation’s character. We have four questions. Are we a nation that will

Michael Schenkler Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Queens County's Weekly Newspaper Group

Brian M. Rafferty, Executive Editor

Shiek Mohamed, Production Manager

Queens Tribune (718) 357-7400 E-mail Address: news@queenstribune.com 150-50 14th Road Whitestone, NY 11357 www.queenstribune.com

condemn the poor and their children to die outside hospitals and clinics because they lack the means to pay for even emergency care? Are we a nation unwilling to shield our elders from constant fear that just one hospital visit could leave them destitute until the end of their lives? Would we tell our neighbors with disabled children they’re on their own? Are we a nation content to let our middle class strain under ever greater burdens while we ask less and less of the wealthiest citizens among us? I pray it will never be so. Yes, we need to put our financial house in order. But there’s a right way and a wrong way and the President has provided an outline of what the right way looks like. Now, the hard work of protecting that vision through the process of making it law will begin. Based on past performance, I will remain on guard against any slippage or wobbling as this process goes forward. But I like what I’ve heard so far and I believe it’s foundation from which we can get to work on a painful though necessary task. As long as we remain determined to protect the programs that speak to our moral character as we are to restore our fiscal health, we may yet achieve something worthy of the appreciation and respect of future generations of Americans. Gary Ackerman, Member of Congress (DBayside)

Do We Need It? To The Editor: Apart from the destruction of hundreds of small businesses and the loss of jobs by thousands of persons and their dependents, an article that appeared in The New York Times April 13 titled “For Flushing and Its Waterfront, Time to Think Big” makes it clear the folly of the proposed Willets Point project. The article makes reference to the following projects in downtown Flushing: 1. Flushing Commons – a 1.8 million square foot mixed-use development that will include office and retail space, 600 condos, a YMCA facility and a small park; 2. Another mixed-use development that will include a 168-room Hyatt Place Hotel with three levels of retail space and a separate tower for office space and apartments; 3. On the former RKO Keith’s Theatre site there is to be a mixed use development that will include 357 rental apartments, retail space and a senior center; 4. 1,800 to 2,800 residences near the waterfront; 5. The Sky View Center, an

Deputy Editor: Joseph Orovic

Regina Vogel Queens Today Editor

Michael Nussbaum Executive V.P./Associate Publisher

Rohatyn Br idge To The Editor: In response to the recent law renaming the Queensboro Bridge as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, I would like to make several points. Firstly, City Council precedence in the City of New York indicates that parks, streets, and any other public places are co-named or renamed posthumously; therefore, the moribundity of Ed Koch is irrelevant. Secondly, Queens Community Board 2’s committee, “Save the Bridge,” collected 500 petition signatures opposing the renaming of this bridge; hence, although advisory under the City Charter, the local CB opposed this bill. Thirdly, several years ago, Brooklyn CB 3 voted in favor of renaming Taaffe Playground to USMC Anthony V. Manago Playground, but Speaker Quinn of the City Council refused to steer the proposal into Committee and ultimately for a Council floor vote on grounds that the Council no longer rename City parks, since the Parks Dept. has that prerogative, although unspecified in

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800,000-square-foot mall; and 6. Sky View Parc, a condominium tower with 448 units and a planned addition of 600 units. In view of the forgoing, legitimate and serious questions exist with the Willets Point project. Do we need another hotel? Do we need more luxury apartments? Do we need more luxury retail space? Given the fact we already have the Javits Convention Center that does not make money and nationally there is a glut of convention space, do we need another convention center? Given all that has occurred and is planned for downtown Flushing, why would any sane person hazard crossing the congested Van Wyck Expressway and Grand Central Parkway for what already and will be available in Flushing? Should taxpayers subsidize real estate developers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars for a project that does not make sense? The fact of the matter is that the small Willets Point businesses did render an important consumer purpose, more so than a plethora of upscale retail shops. Yes, it does require major repairs, but since the City took taxes from those businesses, it had the obligation to make the necessary infrastructure repairs. New York City’s default and Bloomberg’s romance with fat cat real estate interests does not comport with good government. Benjamin M. Haber, Flushing

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the City Charter. However, the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, Adrian Benepe, in a letter to me, stated that the Parks Dept. does not name or rename parks, but the City Council does by legislative initiative. Yet the Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner, Julius Spiegel, sent me a letter in an administrative denial of the request to rename the Taaffe Playground. Fourthly, in view of Paul Simon’s “59th Street Bridge Song” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” I believe, to quote Mayor Bloomberg, “it’s only appropriate that we name something iconic, something great after…” not Ed Koch but Felix Rohatyn, who in the 1970s, headed the Municipal Assistance Corporation and successfully restructured New York City’s debt and resolved the city’s fiscal crisis. Felix Rohatyn was the “bridge over troubled water” for the City of New York so, by Bloomberg’s logic, it should be renamed the Felix Rohatyn Queensboro Bridge. In any event, this present law must be repealed, so I encourage people to sign the petition of the “Save the Bridge” committee. As for Ed Koch, his tenure on The People’s Court television program was hilarious, so maybe a sculpture for Ed Koch in front of the Metromedia Channel 5 studios in Manhattan is in order. But, don’t let this go to your head, Ed, because lines ran down Broadway for Jackie Mason but not for your mayoral schtick. Joseph N. Manago, Briarwood

Veterans’ Reality To The Editor: Groundbreaking is now taking place to build a new treatment facility for veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This facility will be in Astoria. Many of the veterans are desperately in need of assistance to help them stay away from drugs and alcoholism, often a result of the stress of fighting, witnessing the dying and the wounding of many of their young patriotic friends, etc. The new Center will be called Reality House. The “real” reality is that both men and women should be fervently fighting for peaceful means to settle problems. In the meantime, these young people require jobs and shelter in many cases. These “needs” must be met as soon as possible. The American Dream becomes an American “nightmare” if we cannot provide for our veterans. Leonore Brooks, Whitestone

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Wherefore Art Thou, O Green Book?

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By HENRY J. STERN Ne w York Cit y’s Green Book, which has been missing in action for three years, will reappear in July, according to the commissioner in charge of preparing, editing and printing it. The Green Book is Henry an invaluable compendium of federal, state, and city agencies and executives, including addresses, phone numbers, and an outline of responsibilities. It has been published by the cit y, and sold to the public, for the last 12 mayoral administrations. It is an annual directory, just like the telephone book, the World Almanac and other works of reference with periodicially changing data. “The need of a comprehensive directory of city departments has long been recognized, but has remained for the present administration to issue the first edition,” said Supervisor of the City Record Peter J. Brady in 1918. Note how Brady credits his boss, Mayor John P. Hylan, who had defeated reform Mayor John Purroy Mitchel in 1917. Mitchel, who had been known as “The Boy Mayor of New York,” died at the age of 38 in July 1918, less than seven months out of office, when he fell out of a singleseater scout plane he was piloting over Lake Charles, Louisiana. He held the rank of major

in the Air Service, which preceded the Army Air Corps, which preceded t he United State s Air Force. As the Times reported, his seat belt was unfastened at the time of the accident. A handsome monument to Mayor Mitchel is Stern located at 90th Street and Fifth Avenue, near the entrance to Central Park. The area is used by the New York Road Runners Club, and a statue of Fred Lebow is nearby. From 1918 on, the Green Book was published regularly until the current administration took office. In the nine years of the Bloomberg era, the book appeared annually for four years, culminating in a volume with a saffron cover, which was an hommage to the ar t ist s Christo a nd h is w ife, Jeanne-Claude, whose work, The Gates, was exhibited in the northwest section of Central Park for two weeks in February 2005. The city then missed two editions in a row for the first time in the book’s history. Since the 200809 edition, a tribute to PlaN YC, another mayoral initiative, the presses have been silent for another two years. Commissioner Edna Wells Handy, a career public servant, is the new commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, succeeding Martha K.

Hirst, who served over eight years. Ms. Handy told us today that the next print edition of the Green Book will appear in July 2011, which is just three months off. An on-line edition may appear earlier, which would be of enormous value to the public, par ticularly people who have to deal with city agencies. The 311 telephone line, launched by Mayor Bloomberg in 2003, was created to handle inquiries from people who did not know what agency could help them. It has fulfilled that function, but often is compelled to refer callers to the agency with jurisdiction, where assistance might or might not be available. At the same time, many agency information numbers were eliminated, so even people who knew who to call were shunted into 311. The New York Time s described the plight of the Green Book three weeks ago in an article by David W. Chen, AN UPDATE OF NEW YORK’S OUTDATED DIRECTORY? THE WAITING CONTINUES. Mr. Chen wrote: “So why, then, no new Green Book? The a nswer, accor di ng to t he Bloomberg administration, has nothing to do with the current economic malaise. Nor does it have anything to do with any plans to put the Green Book online. And there is certainly no evidence that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg ei-

ther wants to delay publication or has made this a lower-than-low priorit y. “Instead, the official explanation is that there have been too many things to update, first after the 2009 citywide elections, then after the 2010 elections.” Elections have been held each November since before the Green Book was born in 1918. The high rate of re-election by incumbents in gerrymandered districts makes changes based on election returns relatively modest.

Mayor Bloomberg’s deserved reputation as a skilled manager makes it unlikely but not impossible that such an historic change from the policy of annual publication would escape the notice of someone at City Hall. Then again, it is possible that Mayor Mitchel was unaware of the fact that seatbelts in an airplane must remain fastened, particularly if the pilot is the sole passenger. The law of gravity is less forgiving than the laws of politics. StarQuest@NYCivic.org

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Extending very best wishes to all of my constituents for a joyous Passover and a happy Easter

Paid for by Ackerman for Congress, Bob Barnett, Treasurer

www.queenstribune.com â&#x20AC;˘ April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 9

CONGRESSMAN GARY ACKERMAN

Queens This Week Bayside BID Waves Its Flags Take a look down Bell Boulevard these days and you'll notice it's lined with American Flags ushering in the change of seasons from the record breaking snows of this last winter to the yellow blossoming of the forsythia that are now lighting up the lawns and streets around Bayside. The Bayside Village BID just made another contribution to the face lifting and beautification of the district with Patriotic Flag Banners lining both sides of the boulevard from 35th Avenue to Northern Boulevard. Changing the face of Bell this last winter with the upgrade in the holiday lights that dazzled, delighted and perked up the district's attraction for shoppers and diners, the Bayside BID has done it again with a new look for spring. The boulevard has gone from the bleak, baron and stoic cobra light poles that illuminated the street to adding aquamarine banners bearing the BID's sporty sailboat over the sunset logo and now adding the sparkle of our own Red, White and Blue American Flags on a golden background, many hosting the names of the businesses that sponsored the costs of the flags. The first sponsors to stake their claim and state their pride in their home district with their sponsorship contribution of the flags are: Helms Brothers/Mercedes Benz of Bayside, Cinco De Mayo, Press 195, VIPizza, Bourbon Street, American Vision, Maggie Mays, Cascarino's, NoNo's, Bayside Milk Farm, Monahan and Fitzgerald, New Golden Wines and Liquor, and the new comer to the boulevard, Community National Bank. For more information about the Flags and the Bayside BID's beautification programs, contact BID Executive Director Gregg Sullivan at (718) 423-2434.

Page 10 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

Fur y Over DOF Co-op Value Flaw After numerous town hall meetings, a ballyhooed Tax Revolt, and promises of a lawsuit, the Dept. of Finance acknowledged an electronic glitch caused the assessed values of some of the borough's co-ops and condos to skyrocket. According to published reports, the agency claimed a computer snafu led some residences to be compared to commercial properties, as opposed to similar rental units, when setting assessed values. The assessment figures provide the base value upon which co-ops and condos are taxed. "The flawed co-op valuation system which I uncovered and which the DOF is now in full damage control mode, will create enormous hardships for families and communities if allowed to be implemented," said Glen Oaks Village President Bob Friedrich, who has been among the agency's more outspoken critics, along with the Presidents Co-op Council. The DOF has yet to provide a specific list of the properties affected. An overall review of its new assessed values led to a $339 million error, overvaluing 139 properties citywide, according to reports. The figures released by the DOF saw the assessed values of some properties, particularly in North and East Queens, skyrocket by up to 147 percent, despite market values remaining flat or falling. Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) has scheduled a hearing on May 2 to "get to the bottom of this." "I have no objections to automation if it is done in a reasonable manner, but that is not what happened," said Weprin, who is also founder of the Council's Co-op/Condo Caucus. "Instead, we have every reason to believe that the new system has serious flaws, and

DOF's admission that some comparable properties were inappropriate only exacerbates the well-founded and widespread skepticism about DOF's computer models." State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), herself a co-op owner at Cryder Point, filed a Freedom of Information Law request to clarify the exact cause of the computer glitch, whether it be a programming bungle, human error or something more nefarious. "I believe, as a co-op shareholder and as an elected official, that my constituents are entitled to full disclosure," she said. The new values were set to take affect May 25, but the DOF may reportedly push back the implementation of the faulty figures. The issue of comparables was raised at a Town Hall meeting that hosted DOF Commissioner David Frankel March 24. At the time, co-op and condo owners decried the lackluster clarity in Frankel's explanation of how the agency reached its figures, particularly which comparable properties were used. The commissioner defended the updated figures as a byproduct of more accurate information about rental units, while also noting state law requires co-ops and condos be categorized separately from one- to threefamily homes. In a nod to owners, Frankel capped all increases at 50 percent. The move did little to assuage outrage. The revelation of flawed comparables, which confirmed earlier suspicions, only further inflamed the problem. "The Commissioner has steadfastly refused to acknowledge any possibility of errors in the DOF valuation process until they were caught red-handed and exposed using commercial properties to create valuations for residential co-ops," Friedrich said. His own co-op was compared to Giardino's Restaurant. "This is an outrage and I am calling for Commissioner Frankel to step down and for the City Council to call for an independent investigation." The Presidents Co-op Council is currently mulling legal action against the City's valuations. A bill by Stavisky and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) would change the classification of co-ops and condos under the Class 2 umbrella. Currently, state law mandates their values are lined up with revenuegenerating rental units. Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127. —Joseph Orovic

DOE Limits Incubation To One Year The Dept. of Education has taken strides to ensure both the Maspeth and Forest Hills communities that the Maspeth High School will be in Maspeth – and out of Forest Hills – by September 2012. In a letter sent to four legislators who expressed concerned over the decision to house the new high school in Metropolitan Campus in Forest Hills, the DOE gave assurances that the incubation period for Maspeth HS would last only a year. The campus on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills already houses two other high schools. The Panel for Education Policy decided unanimously on March 1 to approve DOE plans to locate the new Maspeth High School, which will initially have around 200 students, at the Metro Campus beginning this summer, despite opposition from parents of students at the school and local officials. Assemblymen Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and Mike Miller (D-Glendale), and Councilwomen Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) and Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) sent a letter to the DOE asking for clarification on how long the school would be located at Metro Campus.

It’s A Mitzvah:

On Friday, April 15, State Sen. Tony Avella donated seven large packages of Passover Matzos to the Samuel Field Y as a part of their Passover food drive. The Samuel Filed Y has been providing high quality programs and services to the local community for over six decades and has served as a place where individuals of all ages learn and flourish within a caring and supportive environment. Pictured: Sen. Avella (r.) and Samuel Field Y Executive Director Rick Lewis.

The DOE responded last week in a letter signed by Executive Director of Public Affairs Lenny Speiller, assuring the four legislators that the new home for Maspeth High School at 54-40 74th St. in Maspeth, will be ready for occupancy by September 2012. The PEP vote on March 1 only allowed the DOE to locate the high school at Metro Campus for the 2011-2012 school year and the School Construction Authority has guaranteed the Maspeth location will be ready for occupancy in 2012. “We have no reason to believe these plans will be derailed or delayed in any way,” the letter stated. The four legislators were satisfied with the explanation from the DOE. “The parents, elected officials, and community members have insisted from day one that the incubation at the Metro Campus only last for one school year,” said Koslowitz. “Receiving this official language from the Dept. of Education proves that our voices were heard on this matter.” Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125. —Domenick Rafter

Con Ed Responds Quickly To Explosion Residents living on 103rd Street in Ozone Park were shaken out of their sleep last Wednesday morning when a sidewalk electrical box exploded in the middle of the night. The explosion occurred around 4:10 a.m. April 13 inside a Con Edison service box located under the sidewalk between the Epiphany Mar Thoma Church and a private home at 103-11 103rd St. It threw a 2-footsquare concrete panel into the air, damaging at least one parked car and blowing bits of concrete into the street and along the sidewalk. There were no injuries. The box was still smoking an hour and a half after the explosion. NYPD and FDNY responded within min-

utes and cordoned off the section of sidewalk in front of the church leading to a second service box about 75-feet away near the corner of 103rd Street and 103rd Avenue. Power was not cut to any homes on the street, but a streetlight adjacent to the access panel remained off at daybreak. At least one house on the block reported its lights were flickering two hours before the explosion. Con Edison Spokesman Alfonso Quiroz said Con Ed received a call from the FDNY at 4:30 a.m. to report the explosion and Con Edison responded right away. Crews arrived at the scene before 7 a.m., ripped up the concrete between the charred service box and the second box near the corner, repaired the damaged cable, opened the service box, replaced the damaged equipment in the box and made the significant repairs needed. Quiroz said the electricity system is made up of significant "redundancies" to allow power to flow to homes even after an incident through other channels while the fixes were made. "Our engineers planned for a contingency design," he said. "It allowed for customers on 103rd Street to stay in service while repairs were made." The work was completed in one day, though the sidewalk cut was still there as of press time, hidden away by metal panels and barricades. Quiroz said explosions like this are common and the weather and heavy snow from the winter probably played a factor in the incident. Two thunderstorms passed through the area during the night, one around 12:30 a.m. and the other about a half hour before the explosion. Another heavy rainstorm passed through only minutes after. The box was covered by a significant amount of snow for more than six weeks and the salt from the melting snow may have eaten away at the wires in the box. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125. —Domenick Rafter

Sharing Truths About Housing Rights By JASON BANREY Marking the anniversaries of the Federal and City Fair Housing Laws, New York City’s Commission on Human Rights joined the Queens Library last Monday to inform borough residents of their rights as tenants and homeowners. Gathering outside of Queens Library’s Flushing branch, Patricia Gatling, commissioner for the Human Rights Commission, kicked off the Fair Housing education campaign. “Fair Housing means that New Yorkers have the right to live wherever they choose and be treated that same as everyone else,” Gatling said. “It’s an open city and our law is there to ensure it remains an open city.” As a significant achievement under the Civil Rights Movement, the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 and gave the federal government enforcement powers to protect citizens from discrimination. The Commission’s campaign is also celebrating the 53rd anniversary of the City’s passage of the Sharkey-Brown-Isaacs Law, which went into effect 10 years before the federal law. Known as a central achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, the law was the nation’s first Fair Housing Law that extended protection against discrimination within private housing. The Commission expects to reach a wide audience throughout the city, enlightening uninformed residents that discrimination is against the law and should not be tolerated. “I am amazed and saddened that 43 years after passing the historic Fair Housing Act, individuals are still denied the right to rent an apartment or purchase a home because of their family status, lawful source of income,

disability, [sexual orientation, gender, creed, color or national origin],” Gatling said. Reaching out to the many diverse immigrant populations throughout the city, the Human Rights Commission has been working with libraries to spread the message about both Fair Housing Laws as well as other protections granted to them under the Human Rights Law. In an attempt to educate the area’s growing Asian immigrant population about the rights of American citizens, the Flushing Library has incorporated the Human Rights Law and both the Federal and City Fair Housing Laws into its English for Speakers of Other Languages program. Gary Beharry, manager of the Library Literacy Assistant Center, has witnessed hundreds walk through the library’s entrance seeking to reap the benefits of the library’s ESOL program each year. The popular program not only teaches participants English, but it also gives them access to citizenship and employment workshops that Beharry said can forever engrain participants into their community. Donna Ciampa-Lauria, director of the Flushing library branch, has witnessed the expansion of the library’s services. Since the branch’s facility expanded in 1998, it has become home to the Adult Learning Center and the International Resource Center. Both centers have provided the branch with the ability to provide Flushing’s immigrant population with the services and educational tools necessary for integration. “Since we began implementing English language services and citizenship workshops, the library has helped many individuals who suffered from discrimination due to their

lack of English,” Ciampa-Lauria said. “The library has become an important place for them to come and get the education they need to gain access to government aid and grasp the ability to become a productive citizen.”

For more information about the commission’s campaign and the curriculums offered at the library go to nyc.gov/cchr. Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 128.

MoveOn Targets Citibank In Queens By JOSEPH OROVIC David Yale stood in front of Citibank’s Bell Boulevard branch, offering worn scrunchies to passersby. “Free tax loophole?” he said. “Would you like the one Citibank used to pay zero dollars in taxes?” Sporting signs that read “Make Deadbeat Corporations Pay,” a group of protestors used Tax Day to decry a system that allowed multi-billion dollar companies to pay nothing in taxes, and in some cases walk away with a refund. The protesters in Bayside were part of a larger group of staged protests around the country organized by liberal netroots group MoveOn.org. The picketing was aimed at drawing attention to a system they contend has been corrupted by profits, influence peddling and a soft stance on corporate taxation. Citigroup refused to comment. “I think that there’s a lot of collusion between corporations and the politicians,” said Joe Lauria, co-coordinator for the Queens Council of MoveOn.org. “People generally in America are asleep politically.”

Lauria and 50 others banded together at Citigroup’s headquarters in Long Island City to protest the bank’s willingness to accept government bailout money combined with aversion to paying taxes. Yale’s protest was particularly striking, as it rested in the middle of a district that kept a Republican in the State Senate for 38 years and has an unabashedly Republican Councilman, Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone). “I’d like to welcome MoveOn.org to Bayside on behalf of the many overtaxed families that live here,” Halloran said. “I’d be curious if MoveOn had anything to say about the sky-high taxes and big government regulations that are killing the small businesses they marched by on Bell Boulevard.” Those joining picket line with Yale said awareness needed to be raised over the issue. “The media doesn’t cover it,” said Michael McGrath, not mentioning the fact that he was saying it to a reporter. Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 11

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100th Precinct MISSING TEEN GIRL: The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager from Arverne. Christen Bloomfield, 14, of 610 Beach 69th St., Arverne, was last seen exiting her family’s vehicle at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn on Wednesday, April 13, at approximately 8:30 p.m. She is described as being 5-foot-6, 150 lbs with auburn hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink jacket with blue jeans, white sneakers and purple framed glasses. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

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Page 12 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

Police are looking for Christen Bloomfield, 14.

102nd Precinct HIT BY CAR: On Friday, April 15, at 5:50 p.m., police officers were called to a pedestrian struck at Atlantic Avenue between 74th Place and Elderts Lane in Woodhaven. Upon arrival, police officers discovered a 30-year-old Hispanic male who was struck by a 2006 Nissan Murano that was travelling westbound on Atlantic Avenue. The pedestrian was struck as he walked between two parked vehicles and attempted to cross from the north to south side of Atlantic Avenue between 74th Place and Elderts Lane. The man was removed to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition, and the car that hit him remained on the scene. There was no criminality suspected, there have been no arrests and the investigation was ongoing.

Police are looking for this robber. 114th Precinct SUSPECT SOUGHT: The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying a suspect wanted for robbery in Astoria. On Sunday, March 20, at approximately 9:55 p.m., a black man, 5-foot-9, 140 lbs, walked into the Super 8 Motel at 31-62 14th St. armed with a gun, and demanded money. The suspect fired one round at a surveillance TV, took an undetermined amount of money and fled the scene. There were no reported injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential. RAVENSWOOD ASSAULT: The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a person wanted in connection with an assault that occurred in Ravenswood. On Thursday, April 7, at approximately 12:45 p.m., a man entered the lobby of 1401 36th Ave., in Ravenswood Houses, and confronted an on-duty U.S. Postal Worker while he was delivering mail to the location. The suspect then threw a telephone book at the Postal Worker, striking him in the head, before fleeing. The Postal Worker was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries. The suspect is described as a black man, 6-feet to 6-foot-2 and approximately 200 lbs. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt with blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

Queens CLOSEUP Circus Returns The spectacular Big Apple Circus leaps into its 33rd Season with a thrilling All-New Show, Dance On! The World's Greatest Circus artists swing into action in the spotlight under our intimate Big Top, where no seat is more than 50 feet from the ring! Invited to the dance: an awesome troupe of monocyclists and lasso twirlers from China! A mind-bending group of Mongolian contortionists! A kinetic collection of Kenyan athletes who shimmy up a pole as though gravity were a joke! A herd of hoofers - twelve miniature horses in an equine chorus line! And an Ethiopian juggler with a lively uptempo act that's hard to beat! Your Host is our charming and charismatic Ringmaster Kevin Venardos, aided with antic abandon by star clowns Rob Torres and of course, our leggy, lovable laugh-riot Grandma! With live music by the Big Apple Circus Band, there'll be cavorting in the aisles - and even the audience will be dancing in their seats! "The Big Apple Circus is YOUR circus, Big Apple is back in town!" Show Information Performers from around the globe gather at the Big Apple Circus under the artistic direction of Guillaume Dufresnoy for this 2010-2011 season's show: • From China, the Wuqiao Acrobatic Troupe - the highly skilled and superbly talented troupe perform a powerful lasso act and an acrobatic ensemble on monocycles! • From America, the talented, irrepressible, delightful comic Mark Gindick takes a witty turn under the Big Top as the Man Who Dances!

• From Ethiopia, Girma Tshehai - a charming performer who excites with an act of juggling and percussion combined! • From America, the beautiful Jenny Vidbel fills the ring with a playful chorus line of 12 white mini-horses! • From Africa, The Kenyan Boys pump up the fun with a high-energy dance and pole act with feats of incredible strength and agility preformed to the contagious rhythms of world beat music! • From Russia, lovely and graceful Regina Dobrovitskaya embarks on a romantic trip to the heavens on her cloud swing! • From America, Rob Torres - the sweet and playful "International Man of Mirth" pokes fun and laughter throughout the Big Top! • From Mongolia, X Bud Roses Troupe - these five mysterious young ladies dazzle and amaze with a contortion act of strength and flexibility that will leave the audience spellbound! • From America, versatile and charming ringmaster Kevin Venardos returns for an encore performance! • From Bulgaria, Big Apple Circus company member Andrey Mantchev gives a phenomenal hand-balancing performance! • From America, Barry Lubin, a.k.a. Grandma, presents a lively and lovable grand lady of belly laughs! A dream-team of some of the best creative minds in showbiz comes to the Big Apple Circus this year with a show that will get the toes tapping and fingers snapping. Broadway sensation and singer/actor extraordinaire Eric Michael Gillett takes the

reins as stage director. Award winning choreographer Peter Pucci spices things up with some fancy footwork. Tony®-winner Ann Hould-Ward joins the Big Apple Circus for her first time with an alluring ensemble of costumes. Tony®-winning scenic designer Todd Rosenthal returns to create a dazzling new set. Rob Slowik returns as musical director with the brilliant Big Apple Circus Band performing new compositions by five composer/arrangers, including Dan Furman, who wrote the show's theme "Dance of Life," and Emmy® award-winner Paul Rolnick. Sound designer JP Perreaux handles resonance with elegance and lighting designer Brian Nason brightens the tent with flashes of life and energy. And, as always, creative consultant Barry Lubin adds his cosmic comic expertise. Ticket Information Dance On! begins on Saturday, May 2 and runs for 26 performances through Sunday, June 5, under the Big Top at Cunningham Park, (Union Turnpike, just west of Francis Lewis Boulevard, in Fresh Meadows). This will be the only Queens/Long Island appearance by the Big Apple Circus this year. Tickets for Dance On! start at $15 and are available by calling (888) 541-3750 or at bigapplecircus.org. The Circus Box Office located in front of the Big Top at Cunningham Park, will open Friday, May 20; hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; SaturdayMonday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For groups of 15 people or more or for inquiries about wheelchair-accessible seating or for any additional information please call the Ticket Info Line at (800) 922-3772.

Oyster Fest London Lennie's, located at 63-88 Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park, is rolling out the RAW carpet for fellow oyster lovers to sip, slurp, shuck and shimmy during its first annual OysterFest! Just $5 will get slurp-happy New Yorkers into the city's hottest OysterBash and front row seats at London Lennie's first annual Celebrity Chef Shuck-Off competition hosted by Sue Torres, Executive Chef/Owner of New York's Sueños Restaurant and Food Network regular. On Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m., London Lennie's is inviting New York City's best chefs to showcase their "sharp shucking" skills during their first annual OysterBash Blow Out Block Party, taking place from 1- 7 p.m. The chef with the most RAW talent will be crowned "King or Queen of the Raw Bar" and will win a grand prize pot of over $2,000 to donate to their charity of choice. OysterBash attendees can also indulge in an oyster-packed menu, endless raw bar, drink specials including Make-Your-Own oyster shooters, live music, a raffle of scrumptious prizes, and a Slurp-Off competition featuring a $500 grand prize. London Lennie's OysterBash and Celebrity Chef Shuck-Off competitions are open to the public and tickets are available for $5 at the door. Food and beverage tickets will be available at the door in the form of "Oyster Bucks." Additional event information is available at londonlennies.com.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 13

Page 14 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: 18-32 LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/08/11. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 18-32 127th Street, College Point, New York 11356-2334. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. ________________________________________________________________ Slimarous World Music LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/ 27/11. Ofc in Queens Cty. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 138-30 233 St, Rosedale, NY 11422. Purpose: General. ________________________________________________________________ Nello Realty LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/15/06. Ofc in Queens Cty. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 79-63 68 Rd, Middle Village, NY 11379. Purpose: General. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation Losana LLC art. of org. filed Secy. of State NY (SSNY) 9/16/10. Off. Loc. in Queens Co. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 48-07 30 th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103. Purpose: Any lawful purpose, managed by members. _______________________________________________________________ NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: BLOCK 2281 LOT 1, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of Sate of New York (SSNY) on 01/24/11. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, c/ o Cosmopolitan Associates, LLC, 58-47 Francis Lewis Boulevard, Suite 201, Bayside, New York 11364. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. ________________________________________________________________ Mishi2x Designs LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/10/ 11. Ofc in Queens Cty. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to C/O United States corporation agents, Inc, 7014 13 th Ave Ste 202, Bklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: General. ________________________________________________________________ Name of LLC: When We Grew Up: The Documentary, LLC. Arts. Filed with NY Dept. of State: 12/13/10. Office loc.: Queens Co. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Sarah Spencer, 23-35 Broadway, Apt #5G, Astoria, NY 11106. Purpose: any lawful act. ________________________________________________________________ PARK LANE RENTAL, LLC, a domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC), filed with

LEGAL NOTICE the Sec of State of NY on 11/ 3/10. NY Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to The LLC, 65-19 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood, NY 11385. General Purposes. __________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation A Therapeutic Concept LCSW/PLLC art. of org. filed Secy. of State NY (SSNY) 10/18/10. Off. Loc. in Queens Co. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: PO Box 534, Glen Oaks, NY 11004. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. ________________________________________________________________ NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMP A N Y . N A M E : 3 2 7 0 4 9th STREET LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/01/11. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 91-10 Metropolitan Avenue, Rego Park, New York 11374. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. _______________________________________________________________ HBJ ACCOUNTING & TAX SERVICES, LLC, a domestic Limited Liability Company (LLC), filed with the Sec of State of NY on 3/2/11. NY Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/ her to The LLC, 30-50 Whitestone Expressway, Ste. 204, College Point, NY 11354. General Purposes. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of 560 CARROLL STREET LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 10/1/ 09. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 22-60 46th St., Astoria, NY 11105. Purpose: any lawful activity. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of Errands You Hate LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on 02/ 10/2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to: 3134 78 Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 Purpose: any lawful act or activity. ________________________________________________________________ CITATION File No. 2011-577 SURROGATE’S COURT Queens COUNTY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK By the Grace of God Free and Independent TO: Linda Corsetti, Veronica Meyer, Gerard Bayer, Public

LEGAL NOTICE Administrator of Queens County, and any and all unknown distributees of CONSTANCE ILTGEN, deceased, and if any of the aforesaid persons be dead, to their heirs at law, next of kin and distributees whose names are unknown and if the persons died subsequent to the decedent herein, to their executors, administrators, legatees, devisees, assignees and successors in interest whose names are unknown and to all other heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of CONSTANCE ILTGEN, the decedent herein, whose names are unknown and cannot after due diligence be ascertained. A petition having been duly filed by Richard H. Freeman who is domiciled at 118 Fire Island Avenue, Babylon, New York 11702 YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, Queens County, at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York, on May 19, 2011 at 9:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Constance Iltgen lately domiciled at 235-03 88th Avenue, Queens Village, New York 11426, United States admitting to probate a Will dated July 26, 2001 a copy of which is attached, as the Will of Constance Iltgen deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that: Letters Testamentary issue to Richard H. Freeman HON. PETER J. KELLY, Surrogate MARGARET M. GRIBBON, Chief Clerk Dated, Attested and Sealed MAR 18 2011 ATTORNEY RICHARD H. FREEMAN, ESQ., Cullen and Dykman LLP 177 Montague Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201 TEL. 718-780-0155 NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of formation of CAS REALM PUBLISHING LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (SSNY) on January 12, 2011. Office located in Queens County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC to THE LLC 146-14 20th Avenue, Whitestone NY, 11357. Purpose: any lawful purpose. ________________________________________________________________ ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION OF Famous Accountants LLC Under Section 203 of the Limited Liability Company Law FIRST: The name of the limited liability company is: Famous Accountants LLC SECOND: The county within this state in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is: Queens THIRD: The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom pro-

LEGAL NOTICE cess against it may be served. The address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: The Company 1673 Gates Avenue Ridgewood, NY 11385 Michael D. Shanabrook. Esq. (signature or organizer) Michael D. Shanabrook. Esq. (print or type name of organizer) ________________________________________________________________ NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: 169 WEST 85 th STREET LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/04/10. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, c/o Ruth Shore, 169-12 Gothic Drive, Jamaica, New York 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. ________________________________________________________________ STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY NYCTL 2008-A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs, vs. GEORGE BROWN; FIRST FEDERAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF NY; CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK (QUEENS); NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; FIA CARD SERVICES, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO MBNA AMERICA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, FORMERLY KNOWN AS MBNA AMERICA BANK, N.A.; UM CAPITAL, LLC; BENEFICIAL NEW YORK INC., A/K/A BENEFICIAL NY INC.; HSBC BANK NEVADA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO DIRECT MERCHANTS CREDIT CARD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION; CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, FORMERLY KNOWN AS CAPITAL ONE BANK; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU and “JOHN DOE #1” THROUGH “JOHN DOE #100”, Defendants. SUMMONS AND NOTICE Index No. 12420-09 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above-entitled foreclosure action, and to serve a copy of your answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal service within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof.

LEGAL NOTICE

In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. Queens County is designated as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the subject premises. Dated: February 3, 2011 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an Order of Honorable Joseph G. Golia a Justice of the Supreme Court, dated February 22, 2011, and filed with supporting papers in the Queens County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose a tax lien covering the property known as 11427 199th Street, St. Albans, New York and being a parcel of land designated as Block 11016 and Lot 62. The relief sought is the sale of the subject property at public auction in satisfaction of the tax lien. In case of your failure to appear, judgment may be taken against you in the sum of $9,911.23, together with interest, costs, disbursements and attorneys fees of this action, and directing the public sale of the property. Richard M. Beers, Jr. Phillips Lytle LLP Attorneys for Plaintiffs Office and Post Office Address 1400 First Federal Plaza Rochester, New York 14614 Tel. No. (585) 2382000 _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation (PLLC). Name: CHOI ENGINEERING PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/29/10. Office location: Queens COUNTY. NY DOS shall mail copy of process to: 6838 YELLOWSTONE BLVD., Suite A15, Forest Hills, NEW YORK 11375. Purpose: to practice the profession of engineering. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of Hunters Point Veterinary Hospital, LLC, a professional service LLC (PLLC). Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 3/23/11. Office location: Queens County. Sec. of State designated agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation, 111 8 th Ave., NY, NY 10011. Purpose: practice veterinary medicine. __________________________________________________________ ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION OF Steinway Auto Sales LLC Under Section 203 of the Limited Liability Company Law FIRST: The name of the limited liability company is: Steinway Auto Sales LLC SECOND: The county, within this state, in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is: Queens THIRD: The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against it may be served. The address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: John Salvio 20-02 Steinway St Astoria, NY 11105 USA John Salvio (signature of or-

ganizer) John Salvio (print or type name of organizer) _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation (LLC). Name: 142-82 REALTY, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/ 06/10. Office location: Queens COUNTY. NY DOS shall mail copy of process to: 142-82 ROCKAWAY BLVD., JAMAICA, NEW YORK, 11436. Purpose: Any lawful activity. ________________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of 52 STREET LLC, a domestic LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/27/2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 106-16 Jamaica Avenue, Richmond Hill, NY 11418. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of DT Event Planning, LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on January 5, 2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to: 137-48 Francis Lewis Blvd Laurelton, NY 11413 Purpose: any lawful act or activity. _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of HVAC O.G.R. GENERAL CONTRACTOR LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on 03/16/2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to: 88-05 MERRICK ROAD #5G, Jamaica, NY 11432 Purpose: any lawful act or activity. _______________________________________________________________ “Notice of formation of NYC Triad LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/21/2011. Office Location: Queens County. SSNY designated for service of process to C/O The LLC, 150-24 25th Drive, Flushing, NY 11354. Purpose: Any lawful activity” _______________________________________________________________ GNL LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/23/11. Ofc in Queens Cty. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 6015 Putnam Ave 1 Fl, Ridgewood, NY 11385. Purpose: General

To Place Your Legal Advertisement, Call the Tribune at (718) 357-7400 Ext. 149 or E-Mail Your Copy to the Tribune at: legals@queenstribune.com

Stores’ Food Helps Jews At Passover kosher food pantries running low. “1,000 pounds will make a difference,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (DMiddle Village). Warren Hecht, President of the QJCC, said the donation was “needed this year more than ever.” “The requests for assistance from members of the Jewish community as Passover approaches has been overwhelming,” he said Ilene Marcus, chief of staff of the Metropolitan Council for Jewish Poverty, said kosher food pantries have given out over 2.5 million pounds of food to needy families.

Photo by Ira Cohen

By DOMENICK RAFTER One in five Jewish families in New York City are living in poverty. That number put a strain on food pantries before the Passover holiday, but in response, the Forest Hills Stop & Shop stepped in with some help – a half a ton’s worth. The store at 89-89 Union Tpke., frequented by many Jewish families in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, donated 1,000 lbs of kosher food to the Queens Jewish Community Council’s kosher food pantry the week before Passover, which started on Monday. Stop & Shop’s donation featured a bevy of kosher food products that are used in the Passover Seder. The Forest Hills store is home to a small, but popular, kosher food section. “We hope those who needed these food products are enjoying their holiday,” said Tammie Smith, manager of the Forest Hills Stop & Shop. “Today, there are new kinds of burdens,” said Borough President Helen Marshall, “and poverty is one of those burdens in particular. [Stop & Shop’s] expression of generosity provides a valuable and practical way to ensure that many of our Jewish residents will be able to observe the Passover holiday with proper ritual food.” As the aftermath of the recession and financial crisis continues to come to a head, the number of needy families has risen even as the economy slowly begins to recover. The Queens Jewish Community Council served 930 people in need in February 2009, but in the same month in 2010 that number increased to 1,818 and in February 2011, jumped to 2,240. That number has left the QJCC’s and other

“The sad thing is that it’s never enough,” she said. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125. Borough President Helen Marshall takes some kosher items off the shelf for the donation as Councilwoman Liz Crowley (l. to r.), and store Manager Tammie Smith look on.

Biting Our Boro’s Big Apple By JING CHEN achieve a greener environment, Baard said. The official apple of the Big Apple may “Everyone is going green. There is no soon be from Queens. Erik Baard, founder of healthier, cleaner representation than the Newtown Pippin Restoration & Celebration, color green and alongside the state’s official is fighting for the Newtown Pippin apple, fruit, it would be a perfect symbol,” he said. which was originally grown “The Mayor’s office has in what is now Elmhurst, to been using the green apple be the official apple of New as a symbol of the city goYork. ing green.” While the generic apple Besides the conveis the official state fruit, nience of what its green its variety has not been color could mean, Baard chosen; the Big Apple is says that there is no other almost nearly always deapple more fit to represent picted as red. The New York than the Newtown Pippin’s green Newtown Pippin. color would be an appro“The Newtown Pippin priate transformation, as was grown in Queens beit will also be used to sym- The Newtown Pippin – per- fore the nickname ‘The bolize the city’s goal to haps the true “Big Apple.” Big Apple’ was used,”

Baard said. “It is the only apple to come out of the five boroughs. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson liked it so much, they started cultivating it at their estates.” If Baard is successful with his campaign to have the Newtown Pippin recognized as the official apple of New York, how will New Yorkers fare with the change? “There won’t be a penalty if some people choose not to acknowledge it,” Baard laughed. “But the Newtown Pippin is the authentic apple of New York – not the red ones on the ads or tour buses.” For more information on the Newtown Pippin and more on Baard’s organization, visit newtownpippin.org. Reach Intern Jing Chen at jchen@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 124.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 15

Meeting Walcott

Former high school teacher Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (r.) meets with New York City’s new Public Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott at the State Senate’s Education Committee Meeting. She is joined by Sen. Shirley Huntley (l.), a former community school board president.

Parkinson Awareness

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall marked the 50th Anniversary of the American Parkinson Disease Association with a proclamation during their visit, Thursday, April 14, at Borough Hall with President Joel Miele, of the Support Center in Queens, and Bea Cordero, coordinator of the center.

Bowne Daffodils

Swisher Dishes Gift

City Comptroller John Liu presents the Queens Daffodil Award to Anne Perl de Pal and Rosemary Vietor of the Bowne House for their involvement with the Daffodil Project. The Daffodil Project was founded in response to the attacks of September 11 as a memorial to raise the spirits of New Yorkers and revitalize parks and communities throughout the five boroughs. Pictured l. to r.: Holly Leicht of New Yorkers For Parks, Comptroller John Liu, Anne Perl de Pal and Rosemary Vietor of the Bowne House. Photo by Christopher Smith

Bank of America customers Neal Beaver of Queens (c.), and Cynthia Aguilar (r.) left with more than a deposit slip when cross-town rival New York Yankees’ Nick Swisher surprised them April 11 with tickets for an upcoming Yankees-Mets game. The unannounced appearance by Swisher was part of a new customer appreciation campaign by the bank. Photo by Bill Kostroun

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Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

Page 16 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

Ex Tribbie Honored By PENCIL

New York Jets legend Curtis Martin (l.) introduces former Queens Tribune Editor and current Jets Executive VP Matt Higgins (r.) at a fund-raising gala for PENCIL, the education non-profit group. Higgins was awarded the NYC Public School Alumni of the Year honor for his continued work with Alley Pond Elementary and Benjamin Cardozo High School. The event was held at Cipriani Wall Street and raised more than $1.3 million for PENCIL’s school programs. Photos by Ira Cohen

New Bank In Town

Amalgamated Bank recently welcomed the community to its first branch in Jackson Heights. Pictured l. to r.: Dir. Retail Banking George Maloney, PS 69 Principal Martha Vazquez, CB3’s Ms. Lawrence, Branch Manager Ismail Ahmed, Queens Community House Associate Exec Dir Community Services Mary Abbate and Stefan Hench of The Financial Clinic. Photo by Ken Browne

UFT Rallies At Queens Boro Hall

Hundreds of teachers, parents and children joined elected officials and UFT President Micheal Mulgrew (below l.) to protest Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s proposed layoff of more than 4,600 teachers. Pictured above (l. to r.) Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, Sen. Toby Stavisky, Sen. Mike Gianaris, Assemblyman Bill Scarborough, Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, Mulgrew, Sen. Tony Avella, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, Assemblywoman Grace Meng, Jeff Gottlieb, Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Councilman Peter Koo and Assemblyman Mike Miller. Below r.: A UFT supporter shows her displeasure with the Mayor. Photos by Ira Cohen

Scarborough Explains His ‘Enemy’ Label By DOMENICK RAFTER When Ed Koch released his list of “enemies of reform” list last week, state legislators whom he claimed have reneged on their support of New York Uprising’s pledge to support independent redistricting and ethics reform were called out – including one from Queens. Assemblyman William Scarborough (DJamaica), the only Queens legislator – and only Democrat – on his list, took the branding in stride.

“We are going to hold accountable those people who signed pledges that they would support legislation that would provide for an independent commission to do the redistricting,” Koch said upon releasing the names. But Scarborough denied he has reneged. Instead, he said his name ended up on the list because he was “offended by the process” in which New York Uprising lobbied legislators to support the independent redistricting bill.

“Somebody calls my office on a Thursday, leaves a message with my staff, and says if I don’t sign on to a bill by Friday, I’ll be an ‘enemy of reform.’” Scarborough said. “I just thought it was offensive. You would think someone would have the decency to at least talk to me. I am very much in support of [independent redistricting], which is why I signed [the New York Uprising pledge] de-

spite not having a race,” he said As for the redistricting bill currently being debated in Albany, Scarborough said he supports it and would probably vote for it – and he still supports all the other issues listed in New York Uprising’s pledge. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125.

Local ‘Golden Boy’ Drivers Get Ready Crowned Champion

For EZPass Switch By DOMENICK RAFTER The battery in your E-ZPass may be at the end of its life, but don’t worry, the MTA is on it. MTA Bridges and Tunnels announced that it will replace close to 1.2 million E-ZPass tags in 2011 as their batteries are approaching the end of their lifespan. The batteries cannot be removed; the entire tag must be replaced. Account holders will first receive a letter from Bridges and Tunnels with the number of the tag that needs to be replaced. Not every tag on an account may need to be changed since they may have been added at different times. The average lifespan of an E-ZPass battery is 10 years, and most of those that will be replaced were issued during the beginning of the last decade. Approximately two weeks after receiving

the letter, account holders will receive a new tag and a postage-paid envelope to send back the old one, which the MTA said will be disposed of in an environmentally-responsible way. There will be no added cost for the new tag, but the old tag must be returned or the account will be charged a $23 lost tag fee. “Do not hold onto or throw the old tag away,” warned Kevin O’Keefe, MTA Bridges and Tunnels acting deputy chief financial officer This tag replacement program only affects MTA issued E-ZPass accounts mainly held by customers in New York City and Long Island. The last tag swap occurred from 20022006. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125.

By JING CHEN “Golden Boy” Julio Arce of Queens, was crowned Golden Glove champion at Madison Square Garden on April 7 at the annual amateur boxing competition. The first-time Golden Gloves participant, who was cheered on by family, friends and students, had no doubt he would take home the crown. “I trained very hard – harder than my opponent,” Arce said, “and all my hard work has paid off.” The multi-talented Arce should be proud of himself. Arce, 21, defeated David Green, 26, who trains strictly as a boxer, in the 141-pound novice division. Arce has a 100 record as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, 41 as a kickboxer and is now 6-0 as a boxer. He also holds two MMA title belts and one grappling belt. To celebrate his win, Arce, who is no-

torious for his intense daily trainings for hours at a time, took the weekend off to spend with family and friends. “I just relaxed,” he said with a content smile. His laid-back personality is evident. His trophy, a golden medallion with boxing gloves as a pendant, is stored in a desk drawer in the office at Tiger Schulmann’s Mixed Martial Arts, where he was a student for eight years and where he now acts as Joshu, an instructor for the Center’s kids. “I can’t wear it while teaching, you know. The kids might yank it off,” Arce laughed. Don’t expect Arce to sit still for long. He is back to training daily for a Muay Thai competition June 24. “I welcome the journey,” he said. Reach Intern Jing Chen at jchen@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 124

Happy Passover And a Joyous Easter!

Have a wonderful holiday filled with joy, peace and love NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL, 24TH DISTRICT www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 17

JAMES F. GENNARO

LaG ESOL Prof Honored By NYT

When Paula Da Silva-Michelin was growing up in Brazil, she never thought that as a non-English speaker she would be able to fulfill her dream: to teach English in the United States to foreign-born students. Despite her doubts, Da Silva-Michelin not only mastered the language and landed a job at LaGuardia Community College teaching English to recent immigrants, but The New York Times has recently named her its 2011 English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher of the Year. A full-time instructor at the College’s Center for Immigrant Education and Training (CIET) since 2002, Da SilvaMichelin took top honors in this citywide

competition that recognized educators who have consistently excelled in helping adult students learn English and develop the skills they need to create successful new lives in the United States. “The New York Times is delighted to recognize Ms. Da Silva-Michelin for her outstanding job in the ESOL adult education field,” said Diane McNulty, executive director, corporate communications, The New York Times Company. “As an immigrant and a one-time ESOL student herself, she embodies the hopes of our nation’s newest residents. As a dedicated teacher and mentor, she fulfills the promise of better opportunities for her students while making our community

'11

EDUCATION

Jewish Heritage Writing

Page 18 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

In honor of Jewish Heritage-NY2011 and the annual observance of Jewish Heritage Week (May 8-15), The Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, in cooperation with the New York Department of Education, is sponsoring The Toby Nussbaum Jewish Heritage-NY2011 Writing Contest for New York City Public School students on this year’s theme, Mensch: A Person of Integrity and Honor. The contest is open to New York City Public School students in grades 4-12. First, second and third place winners will be selected from grades 4-5, grades 6-8

and grades 9-12. First place winners will receive $500; second place winners will receive $300; and third place winners will receive $150. The contest deadline is May 9, 2011. NYC Schools Chancellor-designee Dennis Walcott will host the award ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2011 at 4 p.m. at City Hall. For contest rules and information, please visit jcrcny.org or contact Marcy Fishman, JCRC-NY’s Director of Special Projects, fishmanm@jcrcny.org or (212) 983-4800, Ext. 142.

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 2/ 9/11, bearing Index Number NC-001334-10/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, grants me the right to: Assume the name of (First) Naiomi (Middle) Mahabir (Last) Moonian My present name is (First) Naiomi (Last) Mahabir aka Naiomi Moonian aka Naiomi Mahabir Moonian My present address is 150-11 114 th Place, South Ozone Park, NY 11420 My place of birth is Brooklyn, NY My date of birth is August 26, 1986 _______________________________________________________________ Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 1/ 12/10, bearing Index Number NC-001241-09/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, grants me the right to: Assume the name of (First) Fujun (Last) Qu My present name is (First) Fujun (Middle) Qu (Last) Colonna aka Fujun Qu My present address is 137-14 Negundo Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355 My place of birth is China My date of birth is September 26, 1963 _______________________________________________________________ ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION OF Xtreme Construction of Queens LLC Under Section 203 of the Limited Liability Company Law FIRST:

the name of the limited liability company is: Xtreme Construction of Queens LLC SECOND: The county within this state in which the office of the limited liability company is to be located is: Queens THIRD: The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the limited liability company upon whom process against it may be served. The address within or without this state to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the limited liability company served upon him or her is: John Conway 135-22 95 Street Ozone Park, NY 11417 K Walsh (signature of organizer) Kerry Walsh, Organizer (print or type name of organizer) _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of Things I Don’t Understand, LLC a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on 1/20/2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to: 41-14 49th Street Apt 1R, Sunnyside, NY 11104 Purpose: any lawful act or activity. _______________________________________________________________ Notice of Formation of SDUFF, LLC, a limited liability company. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of the State of New York (SSNY) on APR 05, 2011. Office location: Queens County. SSNY

has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to: 10920 71ST ROAD APT. 2E FOREST HILLS, NEW YORK, 11375. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. _______________________________________________________________ Notice is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 3/ 28/11, bearing Index Number NC-000192-11/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, grants me the right to: Assume the name of (First) Leah (Last) Aharonoff My present name is (First) Limor (Last) Aharonoff My present address is 147-16 68th Drive, Flushing, NY 11367 My place of birth is Queens, NY My date of birth is March 23, 1984 _______________________________________________________________ Notice is hereby given that an order signed by the Civil Court, Queens County, on the 5 of April, 2011, bearing Index Number 268/2011, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11435, grants me the right to assume the name of Tom Kipeum Park. My address is 28-15 203rd Place, 2nd Fl., Bayside, NY 11360, County of Queens. The date of my birth is February 4, 1989. My present name is Ki Peum Park. The place of my birth is South Korea.

stronger for all its inhabitants.” “Having the opportunity to teach English in the United States was a dream come true,” Da Silva Michelin said without a hint of an accent. “But never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be recognized by The New York Times as one of the city’s best educators in the area of English as a Second Language.” The humble honoree went on to say that the award would not have been possible without the support and guidance of her fellow teachers, supervisors, City University of New York (CUNY) staff and, in particular, the CIET administration. The Times presented her with $2,500 and a commemorative plaque at an awards ceremony on April 8. Since the establishment of the award five years ago, three LaGuardia English language instructors have been recognized. In 2007, the first year the award was given, Ellen Quish, an instructor, staff and program developer at the Adult Learning Center, was the teacher of the year. The following year, Hillary Gardner, the English and Civics Program coordinator for CIET, was an honoree. In selecting the teacher of the year, The Times called upon students and colleagues to submit nominations. Nominators were asked to explain what made their nominees’ teaching style so effective, how they improved the lives of their students, and how they educated their students about the culture of the United States. All ESOL teachers working in the city were

Paula Da Silva-Michelin eligible for consideration. The program attracted some 30 nominations. John Hunt, the associate director of CIET, who nominated her for this coveted award, said, “Ms. Da Silva-Michelin demonstrates a tremendous amount of caring and heart in supporting her students in their struggle not only to learn English, but also to improve their lives and achieve their goals. She also displays the creativity and daring to create new resources for her peers who thoughtfully respond to the needs of students through innovative class activities.” At CIET, where immigrants receive free ESL instruction and job training, the 43year-old Queens resident teaches a combined ESL and civics course that is built around various themes such as government and health.

FOREST PARK’S FUTURE:

By DOMENICK RAFTER With the first signs of spring showing, the closed section of Forest Park Drive between Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens and Woodhaven Boulevard in Woodhaven begins to crowd with joggers, bicyclists, skaters and other locals just enjoying the first warm sun after a long cold, snowy winter. The trees are still bare and little green shoots are the only sign that winter has passed. Sitting on top of the glacial moraine that slices Queens in two, Forest Park is the natural boundary that isolates the South Queens neighborhoods of Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Howard Beach from the more centrallylocated Forest Hills, Glendale and Ridgewood. It is home to The Overlook, the Parks Dept.’s Queens Headquarters, an 18-hole golf course and Oak Ridge, the former clubhouse that now houses the headquarters of Queens Council on the Arts and a reception hall that boasts extraordinary views of South Queens right down the beaches in Rockaway and the runways at JFK Airport. Forest Park doesn’t have the grassy fields that Flushing Meadows Corona Park has or the open marshlands that make up Alley Pond Park, but it is much larger than Queens’ other urban getaways like Astoria Park, Crocheron Park and Baisley Pond Park. Forest Park is a natural oasis without a master plan, but one that has gotten the attention of the Parks Dept., sometimes to the delight of the surrounding communities, sometimes not.

Page 20 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

The Carousel The century-old Carousel has been in Forest Park, on a hilltop only steps from Woodhaven Boulevard, since 1972, but since 2008, the carousel has been quiet, shuttered behind a chain-linked fence after former vendor New York One basically abandoned it. Local activists have been pushing the Parks Dept. to find a new vendor, but so far efforts have turned up dry. The Parks Dept. issued a new Request for Proposals for the carousel, as well as the carousel in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, on April 8. Part of the RFP includes allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages at the Forest Park site, though only with food, and added an optional site for more amusements in the area between the carousel and Woodhaven Boulevard. So far no interested parties have bid. “If a proposal includes the optional amusement venue, the Forest Park location would expand to include the open area to the east of the carousel. This area slopes down to the low, wrought iron fence along Woodhaven Boulevard. The Parks Dept. envisions an amusement venue that would include small rides that cater to ages 12 and younger,” the RFP states. The area could also include games and other attractions subject to Parks Dept. approval, a proposal Ed Wendell, President of the Woodhaven

Parks Dept. Eyes Expanded Uses At Site Some Prefer Be Left Alone

Forest Park’s bandshell (above) underwent a massive renovation last year. Forest Park’s nature trails (left) have developed a notorious reputation for what goes on after dark.

Residents Block Association, likes. “Additional attractions will increase the chances of making a good profit, which increases the chances that our carousel will be up and running,” said Wendell, who has led efforts to reopen the carousel. “It’s a very positive development.” The Parks Dept. will mandate that the vendor operate the facility at a minimum during the months of April through September from 11 a.m. until sunset, seven days per week, weather permitting. The contract would end Dec. 31, 2025. All proposals for this RFP must be submitted no later than Friday, May 13 at 3 p.m.

The Trails The eastern two-thirds of the park, where its namesake forest exists, are covered by nature trails. These trails that meander through the park and connect Union Turnpike to the north with Myrtle Avenue and Park Lane South to the south, are packed with people on any given summer weekend, and the bridle path is frequented by horseback riders, who can often be seen alongside Union Turnpike. But when the sun sets, a different demographic takes to the park’s trails. The trails that delights during the day have become notorious for being frequented by men engaging in sexual activity behind the thick brush, sometimes only feet from Park Lane South. A decade ago, the men in the park at night numbered over

100, but a mix of increasing police presence in the park, adding more lighting on trails and Forest Park Drive and more public acceptance of homosexuality have decreased those numbers to a dozen or so. The reputation remains, however, and many who hike the trails come back with stories of strange events they come across deep in the woods. “I saw a naked photo shoot in there while hiking,” said Nicole Peters, a Rego Park resident. “Some shady things happen in that park.”

George Seuffert Bandshell Acting almost as the epicenter of Forest Park activity, the Seuffert Bandshell has been home to summer concerts and plays for almost a century. Its adjacent parking lot has played host to special events like circuses. When music isn’t being played on its stage, it becomes a popular makeshift skateboarding park for local teenagers. The bandshell that some have called “the cultural center of the community,” has been renovated at three times in the past 35 years, in 1977 and 1999 and once again last year when its wooden benches began rotting away and breaking, leading some to get splinters just sitting on them. With the help of funds from Borough President Helen Marshall and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), even at the time when budgets were tight, the bandshell and its seating underwent a massive renovation in early 2010. The old wooden benches were replaced with more durable steel ones. The stage got a fresh coat of white paint and new trees and shrubs were added around the perimeter and among the benches, creating the image of a concert hall in the forest.

Ridgewood Reservoir Though not technically part of Forest Park, Ridgewood Reservoir shares the

same glacial moraine on the other side of the cemeteries straddling the Brooklyn border. The reservoir was decommissioned in 1989 and given to the Parks Dept. in 2004. Since then, nature has reclaimed the reservoir and local residents like it that way; but the Parks Dept. had other plans for it. Unlike the nature trails, the carousel and the bandshell before it, the City found itself at odds with the parks’ neighbors. “In all our public meetings, never less than 75 percent of the people wanted it to be left natural,” said Community Board 10 member David Quintana. Quintana said the Parks Dept. came in with a “preconceived plan” and never intended to listen to the desires of the community. “It’s typical of how the Bloomberg administration operates,” he added. In 2008, then-Comptroller Bill Thompson shot down a plan to redevelop the reservoir into recreational fields on environmental concerns, but approved a bid to upgrade and build new walkways around the perimeter of the reservoir, work that has already begun. But even those plans didn’t fit community wishes. The plan to put a path and new lighting around the perimeter did not include an overpass over busy Vermont Place to an adjacent parking lot that would allow children, seniors and disabled residents to access the site without crossing the thoroughfare. As for Phase 2, which would include the recreation fields that Thompson killed in 2008, a lack of money and political will has been blamed for its demise. In the meantime, activists continue fighting on the state level, with support from legislators on the Queens side, to have the reservoir declared a protected wetland. Representatives on the Brooklyn side support developing the site as baseball and other athletic fields, something they say is badly needed in their neighborhoods. On the Queens side there are already fields farther east in Forest Park, like Victor y Field and the Park Lane South tennis courts in Woodhaven. Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125.

The Parks Dept. is looking for a new vendor to operate the Forest Park Carousel.

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www.queenstribune.com â&#x20AC;˘ April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 21

Page 24 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Leisure

Queens Man Uses His Art To Help Alma has always enjoyed working on his By BARBARA ARNSTEIN “I have a long histor y of making super- illustrations. “I did the majority of my stuff for ‘Mad’ hero costumes. Back in the early 90’s, for Halloween, I made and wore a pret t y good magazine between 1996 and 2001,” he said. Captain America costume,” said Bayside “It was a combination of different, small features and then they had resident Ray Alma, an me do a couple of their award-winning illusmovie parodies and TV trator who has drawn parodies. I was really for Mad magazine. thrilled when I was “Last year, when I drawing the ‘Planet of went to Iraq to draw the Apes’ movie caricatures for injured parody, because I’m a soldiers, I put a big A big fan of those movon the front of my helies, so for me it was a met, as an homage to big deal.” Captain America, and But not every thing they were calling me was happy and light. Captain America. At A w a r d w i n n i n g i l l u s t r a t o r R a y “It came out on the the end of the trip, Alma’s depic tion of former Presistands the month of 9/ someone pointed out dent George W. Bush. 11 and it was so depressto me, ‘If a sniper were looking at you guys, who do you think they ing. I was so excited and the world was falling would shoot at? The guy with the big A on apart,” he said. “I remember feeling very helphis helmet. Especially if they decided to pick less as an individual, because I had a lot of friends who were police officers and you guys off in alphabetical order’”.

Scoot To Vespa For Tuscan Brunch

REVIEW

Ray Alma stands with his Captain America helmet in Iraq, proud to use his skills to help soldiers. “They were flying us on military aircraft, and every day we would go to a different base,” Alma said. “We had to wear army helmets and flak jackets when we were boarding and when we got off a plane. The flights on the cargo planes made me constantly nauseated, but whatever discomfor t I suffered through this entire experience, it was nothing compared to what the soldiers have to go through. It was extremely interesting and rewarding to go there.” Last May, Alma won an award from the National Car toonists Societ y for Magazine Illustration. His most recent work has appeared in “Black Enterprise,” “Family Tree” and “W WE Kids,” a wrestling magazine for children.

Stars Shine at QPAC As Ben Vereen Returns Ben Vereen, an American actor, singer and dancer of legendar y versatility and unparalleled accolades, is returning to Queensborough’s Per forming Ar ts Center for an encore star turn on Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m. Vereen’s unforget table per formance in “Pippin” garnered him a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” Other Broadway shows that carr y his permanent imprint include “Wicked,” “Fosse,” “I’m Not Rappapor t,” “Hair,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Grind,” “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “A Christmas Carol.” “If he were auditioning for Simon Cowel l’s new realit y show ‘T he X Factor,’ he’d w in!” said Susan Agin, Ar tist ic Director of the Queensborough Performing Art s Center. “Ben Vereen is a tour-de-force and it’s an honor to be able to share his talents with our audience. Among his many Broadway selections, he pays tribute to the legends Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. who significantly influenced him. Get ready to be mesmerized.” Distinguished artists who have performed throughout the decade s at QPAC include jazz legend Thelonius Monk; renowned dance choreographer Merce Cunningham; 60’s folksinger Judy Collins; the fabled Alvin Ailey Dance Company; the great classical actor Alvin Epstein; and more recently Joel Grey, Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Marvin Hamlisch, David Cassidy, Davey Jones, John

B e n Ve r e e n w i l l b e a t t h e Queensborough Performing Arts Center on May 15. Pizzarelli and Bet t y Buckle y. Tickets are $45 all seats. For more information about this event and other upcoming shows, contact the QPAC Box Office at (718) 631-6311; tickets are also available online at QPAC.org. QPAC is located on the Queensborough Community College campus in the hear t of Bayside, with ample free parking and 24-hour security.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 25

choices. My first guest got the Salmone e Capperi grilled flatbread, which was covered in grilled salmon with peppers, arugula and capers in a lemon sauce. It seemed the tender and flaky rich fish was an entire fillet, crumbled across the hand-stretched, grilled flatbread, layered w ith pepper y greens and hiding a forest of deliciously sour capers in puddles of lemon sauce. My second guest had the Grigliata Formaggio, a sandwich of mozzarella, Vespa has been a quaint local favorite of fontina and pecorino romano with roasted mine for some time. I’ve been there for peppers. It was perfect in its simplicity and New Year’s Eve, romantic dinners and fam- served with a lightly dressed side salad and ily outings, and I’ve never been disap- home fries. For me, I’m an Eggs Benedict fan, so I pointed. Decorative flair, excellent presenwent for the Vespa twist on the tation and a creative menu have always set this Tuscan-st yle Ital- RESTAURANT classic – Uova Medici; poached eggs served over spinach and ian restaurant a notch above prosciutto on Tuscan bread. Wellmany others in my mind. seasoned, perfectly poached and So when I heard that they are complex in its flavor combinanow serving brunch on the weektion, the dish hit on all levels and ends, I had to take the trek a few also came with the salad and hundred feet across the border into home fries. Great Neck to see what Bice and We shared a side dish of her staff had been working on. creamy polenta with mushroom Word, clearly, has not traveled and gorgonzola, a decadent defast about the brunch, but we expect more people to follow. The brunch light – creamy, earthy and shar p, taking menu is a mix of grilled flatbreads, egg on the texture of savor y grit s. We finished our meal split ting another dishes, sandwiches, salads and a handful of traditional favorites. Any items from the grilled flatbread – this time with Nutella, “Uova” (egg) menu comes with coffee and bananas and walnuts. A caut ionar y note for those of you who your choice of Mimosa, Bellini, Prosecco, haven’t been here before – Vespa does not Bloody Mar y or Juice for just $19.95. We star ted our meal w it h a simple lock itself into its menu. If on the menu a Panzanella, a Tuscan bread salad w ith cu- dish says it has almonds, but you get walcumber, red pepper, olives, red onion and nuts instead, it’s simply because the chef tomatoes in a snappy vinaigrette. The three made the choice to substitute that day of us shared it, but cer tainly the dish comes based on the quality of the ingredients. sized for one – we just didn’t want to ruin Think of the menu as a guideline, more our appet ites by ordering too many star t- than a set of rules. After all, Vespa has never ers. I will admit, though, the salmon been about sticking to a formula – they carpaccio with dill, pesto, lemon and aru- just want to give you the best, brightest gula looked great, as did the roasted pears and freshest they have to offer. The tradition continues now that they with gorgonzola and roasted nuts. No, we chose to focus on our main dishes serve brunch. Enjoy! —Br ian M. Rafferty – and I think we made some excellent VESPA CIBOBUONO 96 Nor thern Blvd., Great Neck (516) 829-0005 CUISINE: Tuscany HOURS: Br unch Sat & Sun 11 am to 3 pm; Dinner Sat 4-11 pm; Dinner Sun 4-10 pm; Mon-Thu noon to 10 pm; Fri noon to 11 pm PARKING: Lot CREDIT CARDS: All Major

firefighters who went down there to work at Ground Zero and I was sit ting in my studio thinking, ‘What can I do? How can I help? I just draw silly pictures.’” “But when I star ted working at an animation studio, I met a woman who had founded an organization called the Inkwell Foundation”, he said. “It’s a group of cartoonists that get together and volunteer to go draw for sick children in hospitals. So I became a part of that.” The work for the foundation gave him a sense of how to use his craft to not just entertain, but to also help others. “They were going to hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but I got them to come out to St. Mar y’s Children’s Hospital in Bayside,” Alma said. “Sometimes we’ll go to a club for the families of cancer patients. Any thing they want, we will draw for them.” He found that the children are at tuned to comic book superheroes, and Alma has been happy to oblige. “Even though my specialty isn’t superheroes, I grew up reading super hero comics, so I know how to draw Captain America and the Hulk,” he said. “It’s fun for me because I love drawing those things. It’s just such a great feeling seeing them laughing and smiling.” With the efforts he had made locally, Alma was quick to jump when an oppor tunity to help America’s armed forces popped up. “Last year, I heard that the National Cartoonists Society was looking for volunteer artists to go draw for the troops. This was a way for me to patriotically contribute,” he said. “The first trip I did was last April, when I went to hospitals in Washington, D.C. and Germany.” He also went to hospitals in Iraq in October w ith nine other car toonists.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Queens Today SECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

ENTERTAINMENT

HEALTH

Send typed announcements for your club or organization’s events at least TWO weeks in advance to “Queens Today” Editor, Queens Tribune, 150-50 14th Road, Whitestone NY 113572809. Send faxes to 3579417, c/o Regina.

BWAY SHOWSTOPPERS April 22-May 1 Neil Berg’s Broadway Showstoppers at Queens Theatre in the Park. 760-0064. FM POETS Saturday, April 23 the Fresh Meadows Poets meet to discuss and critique their work at the Forest Hills library at 10. EASTER EGG HUNT Saturday, April 23 Barnyard Easter Egg Hunt at the Queens Count y Farm Museum 12-4. $5. 73-50 Little Neck Parkway. 347-FARM. KUNQU SOCIETY Saturday, April 23 Chinese Opera performance at 2 at the Flushing library. SLEEPING BEAUTY Saturday, April 23 Russian National Ballet Sleeping Beaut y at Queensborough C o m m u n i t y C o l l e ge . 6 3 1 6311. MOVIE & TALK Mondays the Friends of Pomonok present a movie and discussion. Bring lunch. 1 at the Pomonok library. BINGO Tuesdays at 7:15 at American Mart yrs Church, church basement, 216-01 Union Tu r n p i k e , B a y s i d e . 4 6 4 4582. Tuesdays (doors open 6) Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd. 4591000.$3 admission includes 12 games. CHAMBER MUSIC Tu e s d a y, A p r i l 2 6 L u c y Shelton and Friends. Friday, M a y 6 C l a r e m o n t Tr i o . LeFrak Concert Hall at Queens College at 10. Free parking. 997-3802 tix info. PETER CAREY Wednesday, April 27 author Peter Carey speaks at the Music Building at Queens College at 7. $20 at the door. OPEN MIC Thursday, April 28 at 6 at the East Elmhurst library. LIVE JAZZ Fridays through December 13 at 180-25 Linden Blvd.., St. Albans. 347-262-1169 ticket information. NEGRO MUSICIANS Friday, April 29 The B Sharp Branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians presents “Continue Our Legacy” at the Hollis Presbyterian Church, 100-50 196 th Street, at 7. 776-4646. WALKS Saturday, April 30 “The World of the #7 Train”. Jack Eichenbaum’s Public Walks961-8406. POP ART Saturday, April 30 NY in the 1960s: Pop Art, Minimalism and Beyond, a slide-illustrated presentation at the Jackson Heights library at 3. JOEL FAN Sunday, May 1 Joel Fan and Friends perform at the LeFrak Concert Hall at 2. 793-8080. MARIACHI S u n d ay , M ay 1 M a r i a c h i Tapatio De Alvaro Paulino at 3 at the Central library. JAZZ ORGANIST Sunday, May 1 Dr. Joe Utterback, jazz organist, pianist and composer, performs at the Communit y Church of Douglaston. 229-2169.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS 7 days a week. 962-6244. WAITANKUNG Sundays at 2. Waitankung is a great total-body workout. Join these ancient Chinese exercise classes in the Flushing Hospital/Medical Center auditorium on 45 th Avenue between Parsons and Burling. Free. Jimmy 7-10pm 347-2156 information. ALZHEIMERS Monday, April 25 What You Need To Know workshop at 6 at the Jackson Heights library. TAI CHI Mondays and Thursdays at 11 at the Cardiac Health Center in Fresh Meadows. 670-1695. $5 a class. ALZHEIMERS Tuesdays, April 26, May 10, 24 Caregiver Support Group in Forest Hills. 5925757, ext. 237. AUTISM WORKSHOP Tuesday, April 26 at 2 at the Queensboro Hill library. GAM-ANON Tuesdays Free Synagogue of Flushing and Zion Episcopal Church. Wednesdays All Saints Episcopal Church in Bayside, First Presbyterian Church in Forest Hills, Church on the Hill in Flushing and United Methodist Church in Middle Village. Thursdays Free Synagogue of Flushing and Zion Episcopal Church. Call 1-877-6642469. CAREGIVERS SUPPORT E ve r y Tu e s d a y We ste r n Queens Caregiver Network in Sunnyside. 5:30-6:30. 784-6173, ext. 431. CAREGIVERS SUPPORT Every Tuesday 3:30-4:30 at the Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th Avenue, Bayside. 631-1886. ZUMBA Wednesdays the Sisterhood of Bay Terrace Jewish Cent e r , 1 3 - 0 0 2 0 9 th S t r e e t , Bayside, will hold Zumba Fitness classes from 7:30-8:30. $8 members, $10 others. 428-6363. YOGA Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 at the Cardiac Health Center in Fresh Meadows. 6701695. $10 class. OA Fridays 6:30-8:30 at Unit y Center of Flushing, 42-11 1 5 5 th S t r e e t . S a t u r d a y s 10:30-noon at Resurrection Ascension, Feely Hall, 85-18 61 st Road, Rego Park. Beginners meeting except the last Friday of each month, which is a writing meeting. CO-DEPENDENTS ANON. Fridays 10-11:45 at Resurrection Ascension Pastoral C e n t e r , 8 5 - 1 8 6 1 st R o a d , Rego Park. Women only. CHAIR YOGA Saturday, April 30 Introduct i o n to C h a i r Yo g a Fr e s h Meadows library. Register. WEIGHT LOSS EXPO Saturday, May 21 a medical and surgical weight loss expo will be presented from 10-4 at the Uniondale Marriott. $5 at the door; free in advance 516-374-8631. Professionals, screenings, cooking demos, samples, more.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATION MEETS ON A REGULAR BASIS, SEND ALL DATES FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

ALUMNI WOODSIDE REUNION Saturday, May 21 Woodside Reunion will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall. 631-467-6091.

DANCE QUEENS PRIDE FLING Saturday, April 30 Queens Pride House will hold a Spring Fling. 429-5309. COUNTRY WESTERN Saturday, May 21 Savannah Sky performs at the Mothers Day Dance. $12. Glendale Memorial Building, 72-02 Myrtle Avenue at 7:30. 7634328. ISRAELI FOLK Mondays 7:30-10:00 at Hillcrest Jewish Center, 18202 Union Turnpike. $10 session. 380-4145. LINE DANCING Mondays 6:30-9:30 at Kowalinski Post 4, 61-57 Maspeth Avenue. $7. Cake and coffee. 565-2259.

Page 26 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

DINNER SONS OF ITALY Friday, April 29 29 th Annual Golden Lion Awards Dinner. 800-322-6742. SISTERHOOD Tuesday, May 3 the Sisterhood of the Bayside Jewish Center will hold a spring luncheon. WOOD-HEIGHTS DEM. Thursday, May 5 WoodHeights Democratic Club w i l l h o l d t h e i r 8 th A n n u a l Wood-Heights Democratic Club at Dante’s Caterers in Jackson Heights. 457-0733.

FLEA MARKETS THRIFT SHOP Tuesday, May 3 9-2 Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills, 71-25 Main Street, Flushing. BAKE SALE Thursday, May 5 SelfHelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th Avenue, Bayside 10-2. GARAGE SALE Sunday, May 15 9-4 at American Mart yrs Church, U n i o n Tu r n p i k e a n d B e l l Blvd., Bayside. THRIFT SHOPS Saturdays 11-4 , 93-23 217 th Street, Queens Village.4652504.

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS TANGO DANCE & CLASS Wednesdays, April 27, May 4, 11, 18, 25 Buenos Aires Tango, 111-08 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills 7-11. $15. Beginners welcome, no partner necessary. 347-642-4705. JOB READINESS Thursday, April 28 Job Readiness Workshop Series at the Central library at 2. QUILTING CLASSES Thursdays 10-2 at the Maria Rose Doll Museum in St. Albans. 276-3454 or 917817-8653 to register. CHESS CLUB Thursdays at the East Flushing library. Register. COMPUTER CLASS Thursdays at the Queensboro Hill library. Register. FINANCIAL SEMINARS Thursday, April 28 at the Steinway library at 6. KNIT & CROCHET Thursdays at the Fresh Meadows library at 6.

PAINTING WORKSHOP Fridays through June 24 N e w C re a t i v i t y a n d A d vanced Painting Workshop at National Art League. 1-646546-2296. KNITTING CLUB Fridays at the Maspeth library at 10. KNIT & CROCHET Fridays at the Fresh Meadows library at 10:30. SCRABBLE Fridays Bananagrams and Scrabble at the Windsor Park library at 2:30. GAME DAY Friday, April 29 at the Bay Terrace library at 2:30. PUBLIC SPEAKING Saturday, April 30 learn to communicate effectively at Elmhurst Hospital. 646-4367940. BOATING SAFETY Sunday, May 1 with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary at Fort Totten. $75. 917-952-7014 reservations.

MEETINGS FM POETS Saturday, April 23 the Fresh Meadows Poets meet to discuss and critique their work at the Forest Hills library at 10. JEWISH VETS Sundays, April 24, May 22, June 26 Jewish War Veterans of the USA Lipsky/Blum Post meet at the Garden Jewish Center. 463-4742. ST. ALBANS CIVIC Sundays, April 24, May 22, June 26 St. Albans Civic Improvement Association meets at 1:30 at St. Albans L u t h e r a n C h u r c h , 2 0 0 th Street and 119 th Avenue in the undercroft. 276-4263. VFW 4787 Mondays, April 25, May 9, 23 Whitestone VFW Comm u n i t y Po s t m e e t s . 7 4 6 0540. MEN’S CLUB SOCCER Tuesday evenings at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 2637000. FRESH MEADOW CAMERA Tuesdays the Fresh Meadows Camera Club meets.

ENVIRONMENT WORK IN WETLANDS Saturdays, April 23, 30 help eradicate invasive plant species from the wetland of Alley Pond Park with a volunteer crew. 229-4000. URBAN BIODIVERSITY Wednesday, April 27 Saving Urban Biodiversit y at Alley Pond Environmental Center. 229-4000. WILDFLOWER WALK Saturday, April 30 Wildflower Walk with Alley Pond Environmental Center. 2294000. $5 members, $7 others. ARBOR DAY Saturday, April 30 starting at 10 at Alley Pond Environmental Center. 229-4000. WALK FOR APEC Sunday, May 1 join Alley Pond Environmental in a walk. 229-4000.

917-612-3463. WOMANSPACE Wednesdays Womanspace, a discussion group devoted to issues concerning women, meets 1-3 at the Great Neck Senior Center, 80 Grace Avenue. New members welcome. FH VAC Wednesday, April 27 Fore st Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corp meets. 793-2055. WOODHAVEN CULT. Wednesday, April 27 the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Societ y, Inc. meets at Emanuel United Church of C h r i s t , 9 1 t :st A v e n u e a n d Woodhaven Blvd at 1. 8453385. ADVANCED TOASTMASTER Thursdays, April 28, May 12, 26 learn the art and science of public speaking. 5256830. LIBRARY MEETING Thursday, April 28 the Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library will meet in open session at 6:15 at the Central library. HORIZONS CLUB Thursday, April 28 Horizons, for those 55 and over, meet for a lecture on tenor Jan Peerce at noon at the Re fo r m Te m p l e o f F o r e st Hills, 71-11 112 th Street. $3 charge includes coffee and cake. Bring lunch. 261-2900. WOMAN’S GROUP Fridays the Woman’s Group of Jamaica Estates meets at noon. Call 461-3193 for information.

THEATER IN ARABIA May 6-13 “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” by Stephen Adly Guirgis at Queensborough Communit y College. 631-6284. $10, seniors $4, facult y and students $3. ANNIE May 13-22 at St. Andrew Avelino Church in Flushing. $15, $12 children and seniors and Sundays.

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 27

JH ART CLUB Classes in all art forms days and evenings for children and adults. 454-0813. INTRO FACEBOOK Saturday, April 23 introduction to Facebook at the LIC library at 10. DEFENSIVE DRIVING Saturday, April 23 at the Knights of Columbus in Valley Stream. 341-0452. CRAFT CLASSES Saturdays 11-3 at Maria Rose International Doll Museum in St. Albans. 2763454. SCRABBLE CLUB Saturdays at 10 at Count Basie Jr. HS, 132 nd Street and Guy R. Brewer Blvd. 8865236. PET OWNERS Saturdays (not on holiday weekends) from 1-4 free Doggie Boot Camp at Crocheron Park in Bayside (weather permitting). 4545800. Reservations required. Donations accepted. BRIDGE CLUB Mondays except holidays 12-4 at Pride of Judea in Douglaston. Lesson & play $10. Partners arranged. 4236200. KNIT & CROCHET Mondays at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library at 4. DRAWING CLASS Mondays at the National Art League in Douglaston. 3610628. ADULT CHESS Mondays and Thursdays at the Queens Village library at 5:30. BEGIN ENGLISH Mondays and Wednesdays free Beginners English Classes 10-11:30 at the Pomonok Senior Center, 6709 Kissena Blvd., Flushing. 591-3377. COMPUTER CLASS Tuesdays at the Sunnyside library. Register. KNIT & CROCHET Tuesdays at the Windsor Park library at 2. SCRABBLE CLUB Tuesdays at the East Flushing library at 3:30. GET YOUR YARNS OUT! Tuesdays after evening Minyan at 8, knitters, crocheters, needlepointers, and others meet at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 263-7000, ext. 200. COMPUTER BASICS Tuesday, April 26 at t he Astoria library. Register. BASIC COMPUTER Tuesday, April 26 at t he Glendale library. Register. INTRO INTERNET Tu e s d a y, A p r i l 2 6 a t t h e Queens Village library. Register. DUPLICATE BRIDGE Wednesdays 10:30-3:00 at the Reform Temple of Forest Hills. $12 session, includes light lunch. 261-2900 INDOOR SOCCER – DADS Wednesday evenings at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 263-7000. WATERCOLOR CL ASS Wednesdays at 9:30 at NAL. Traditional and contemporary, all levels. 969-1128. SCRABBLE Wednesday, April 27 at the Forest Hills library at 2.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Queens Today

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Queens Today YOUTH QUEENS LIBRARIES Many branches of the Queensborough Library offer toddler and pre-school programs. Contact your local branch for dates. ART FOR FAMILIES Saturday, April 23 for families with children 5-11 at the Noguchi Museum. 204-7088 to register. S TORY T I M E Saturdays, April 23, 30 at the Ridgewood library at 11. MATH HELP Saturdays at the Flushing library at 10.

PARENTS ADOPTING? Saturday, April 30 at 10. Family Focus Adoption Services in Little Neck. 2241919.

TALKS PARANORMAL Saturday, April 23 “Halfway to the Grave” will be discussed by the Paranormal and Mystery Book Club at the LIC library at 3:30. BOOK TALK Monday, April 25 “The Beautiful Things That Havens Bears” will be discussed at the Laurelton library. Register. ASIAN-AMER. LIT Saturday, April 30 “Longing and Belonging: The Idea of Home in Asian American Literature” at 10 at the Poppenhusen Institute, 11404 14 th Road, College Point. Free.

MISCELLANEOUS CLOTHING DRIVE Through April 24 at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 2637000.

Page 28 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

RELIGIOUS LUTHERAN REDEEMER Good Friday, April 22 Tre Ore Service 12-3, tenebrae service at 7:30. Sunday, April 24 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at 7, festival service at 10:30. Sundays regular worship service with Holy Communion at 8:30 and 10:30. Sunday School, Adult Bible Class and Friendship Hour at 9:30. Youth Group at 12:30. Wednesday prayer group and Bible Study at 7. Lutheran Church of the Red e e m e r , 1 5 7 - 1 6 6 5 th A v enue, Flushing. 358-2744. HOLOCAUST F r i d a y, A p r i l 2 9 Yo m Ka’Shaah, a holocaust remembrance service, will take place at the Reform Te m p l e o f F o r e st H i l l s a t 7:30. 71-11 112 th Street. MEMORIAL DAY Sunday, May 1 Holocaust Memorial Day program will be held at 10:30 in the main sanctuary of the Briarwood Jewish Center, 139-06 86 th Avenue.

SCIENCE LAB Saturdays, April 23, 30 at the Central library at 11. CHESS CLUB Saturdays at the Flushing library at 2. S TORY TIMES Saturdays at 11 and Tuesdays at 10:30 weekly story times at 7 at Barnes & Noble, 1 7 6 - 6 0 Un i o n Tu r n p i k e , Fresh Meadows. KNIT & CROCHET Mondays at 4 at the Douglaston/Little Neck lib ra r y. B r i n g n e e d l e s a n d yarn. MATH MONDAY Monday, April 25 at the Ridgewood library at 4. CHINESE CUDDLE-UP Monday, April 25 story time at the Forest Hills library at 2.

SENIORS AARP CHORUS Like to sing? The AARP Queens Chorus holds practice rehearsals for performances at nursing homes, rehab and senior centers. 523-1330. TAI CHI CLASSES Mondays at 9 at the Pomonok Senior Center, 6709 Kissena Blvd, Flushing. 591-3377. CLEARVIEW Monday, April 25 music appreciation at 12:30 and “Emotional Wellness Bingo” at 10:15. Thursday, April 28 “Importance of Exercise” at 12:45. Friday, April 29 Current events at 12:45. Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th Avenue, Bayside. 224-7888. CAREGIVERS Ever y Tuesday Caregivers Support group at 3:30-4:30 at the Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th Avenue, Bayside. 631-1886. STAY WELL Wednesdays at 10:15 at the East Elmhurst library for exercise and other health related programs. WOMANSPACE Wednesdays Womanspace, a discussion group devoted to issues concerning women, meets 1-3 at the Great Neck Senior Center, 80 Grace Avenue. New members welcome. HORIZONS CLUB Thursday, April 28 Horizons, for those 55 and over, meet for a lecture on tenor Jan Peerce at noon at the Re fo r m Te m p l e o f F o r e st Hills, 71-11 112 th Street. $3 charge includes coffee and cake. Bring lunch. 261-2900. STARS Friday, April 29 at 10:30 at the Queens Village library. Senior Theater Acting Repertory meets. FREE LUNCH Saturdays, April 30, May 28, June 25 at Church of the Resurrection in Kew Gardens. 847-2649 reservations. AARP 3654 Tuesday, May 3 in Bayside. 423-4237. DANCE LESSONS Friday, May 6 free dance lessons Pomonok Senior Center. 591-3377.

SPRING CRAFT Tuesday, April 26 at t he Queens Village library at 4. CHESS Wednesdays at the Queens Village library at 3:30. TODDLERS Wednesday, April 27 stories and crafts for toddlers at t he Bay Terrace libra r y at 10:30. POETRY PORTFOLIO Wednesday, April 27 poetry portfolio workshop at the Ridgewood library at 4. FAMILY COLORING Wednesday, April 27 at the Queensboro Hill library at 11:15. FAMILY STORY TIME Wednesday, April 27 at the Queensboro Hill library at 11. GIRL SCOUTS Thursday, April 28 at the Queens Village library at 4. BOOK TALK Thursdays, April 28, May 5, 12, 19 book discussions for children and parents at the Laurelton library at 6. CHESS CLUB Fridays at the Poppenhusen library at 3:30. GAME DAY Fridays at 3:30 at the Queens Village library. GAME PLAYERS CLUB Fridays at the Hillcrest library at 4. GAME TIME Fridays at the Windsor Park library at 4. CHESS CLUB Fridays at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library. Register. ACTIVITY TIME Fridays at the Briarwood library at 3:30. CRAFTERNOONS Friday, April 29 at the Ridgewood library. Register. GAME DAYS Friday, April 29 at the Bay Terrace library at 2:30. FAMILY PLAY TIME Friday, April 29 at the Queensboro Hill library. Register. EGG-CITING ANIMALS Saturday, April 30 at Alley Pond Environmental Center for those 5-6. 229-4000 to register. DESIGN Sunday, May 1 at the Noguchi Museum. 2047088. BOY SCOUT 138 Thursdays Boy Scout Troop 138 meets at 7:30 in the basement at 192-15C 64 th Circle, Fresh Meadows. For those 11 and older. 4542391. CUB SCOUTS 351 Fridays at St. Nicholas of Tolentine school cafeteria, Parsons Blvd. and Union Turnpike. Boys in grades 15. 820-0015. CUB/TROOP SCOUTS Fridays from September through June Pack 357 and Tr o o p 3 5 7 m e e t s i n t h e S c o u t R o o m , 6 9 - 1 6 1 6 4th Street, Flushing. 591-9514 Cubs, 279-9085 Scouts. SCOUTING Join Scouting in Queens. 212-651-2897. SHABBAT SCOUTS Sundays Shomer Shabbat Boy Scout Troop 613 meets from 6-7:30 at Young Israel of Windsor Park. 969-1571.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

www.queenstribune.com • April 21-27, 2011 Tribune Page 29

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Queens Today

Page 30 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

TEENS FUTURE WRITERS Saturdays, April 23, 30 at the LIC library at 11. CHESS CLUB Saturdays at the Flushing library at 2. HS ENTRANCE Monday, April 25 Specialized HS Admissions Test with the Princeton Review. 8002REVIEW to register. Queens Village library. KNIT & CROCHET Mondays at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library at 4. TEEN GAME DAY Tuesday, April 26 at the Rochdale Village library at 4. FREE SAT PRACTICE Tuesday, April 26 SAT Free P ra c t i c e Te st w i t h t h e Princeton Review at the Bellerose librar y. 800-2REVIEW to register. URBAN BIODIVERSITY Wednesday, April 27 Saving Urban Biodiversit y at Alley Pond Environmental Center. 229-4000. CHESS Wednesdays at 3:30 at the Queens Village library. GAME DAY Friday, April 29 at the Bay Terrace library at 2:30. TEEN HAPPY HOUR Friday, April 29 at the Flushing library at 3. ACQC SUPPORT AC Q C Te e n Pe e r S u p p o r t Group - information, support, skills development training for those “touched by HIV/AIDS.” Ages 14-16. 8962500. ART CLASSES Fridays the Alliance of Queens Artists in Forest Hills offers teen workshops. 5209842. BOY SCOUTS 138 Thursdays Boy Scout Troop 138 meets at 7:30 at 19215C 64 th Circle, basement, Fresh Meadows. For those up to 17. 454-2391. BUKHARIAN LOUNGE Bukharian Teen Lounge, for those 15-18, at the Central Queens YM-YWHA in Forest Hills. 268-5011, ext. 202. CATALPA YMCA Saturdays recreation, Weight room and fitness center available. 69-02 64 th Street, Ridgewood. 8216271. COUNSELING Call 592-5757 for free counseling at the Forest Hills Communit y House. DROP IN CENTER Mondays-Thursday from 47 the Queens Rainbow Comm u n i t y C e n t e r, 3 0 - 3 7 4 Steinway Street, 2 nd floor, Astoria, holds a Drop-In Center for LGBTQQ youth up to 22. 204-5955. EMPLOYMENT SERVICE Sunnyside Communit y Services Youth Employment Services available. 784-6173, ext. 129. GAY GROUP Mondays the AIDS Center of Queens Count y has a Gay/ B i / L e s b i a n Yo u t h G r o u p (ages 16-21) meeting designed to support young people in exploring feelings about sexualit y and other issues. 896-2500. POMONOK TEENS Teen Council addresses teen i s s u e s i n th e c o m m u n i t y.

591-6060. SCOUTING The Rego Park Jewish Center will offer boy and girl scouting. 516-526-2492. SCOUTING Join Scouting in Queens. 212-651-2897. TENNIS Yo u t h a n d Te n n i s , I n c . teaches tennis to those 4-18 at the Roy Wilkins Tennis Center. 658-6728. VAC YOUTH SQUAD T h e G l e n O a k s Vo l u n te e r A m b u l a n c e C o r p s Yo u t h

Squad is looking for new members 14-18. 347-1637. YOUTH GROUP Fridays t he Communit y Church of Little Neck will hold their Communit y Youth Group from 7-9. 46-16 Little Neck Parkway. 229-2534. YOUTH SERVICES The 105 th Precinct Communit y Council of fers a L aw Enforcement Explorers Program for interested youth in the surrounding areas. Contact PO Kirkland at 7769164.

EXHIBIT QUEENS HISTORICAL Tu e s d ay s , S a t u r d ay s a n d Sundays 2:30-4:30 new exhibit “For Love of the Games: A History of Sports in Queens,” with other exhibits, “Unraveling History: Using Textiles to Date the Past,” “Kingsland: From Homestead to House Museum,” “Persistence: A Celebration of Landmarks in Queens – Past, Present, Future,” and “The Civil War’s La sting Memory.” Queens H i s to r i c a l Societ y at Kingsland Homestead, 1443 5 3 7 th a v e n u e , F l u s h i n g . 939-0647, ext. 17. $2 seniors and students, $3 adults. AMER. CIVIL RIGHTS Through April “Bindu Masks from the Imperato Collection.” February through June “QCC Art Gallery: 20 Years of Collecting.” May through June “Department of Art and Design’s Juried Student Exhibition.” QCC Art Gallery. 631-6396. ISAMU NOGUCHI Through April 24 “On Becoming An Artist: Isamu Noguchi and His Contemporaries: 1922-1960” at the Noguchi Museum, 32-37 Ve r n o n B l vd . , L I C . $ 1 0 adults, $5 seniors and students. 204-7088. MANSHENG WANG Through May 27 “Mansheng Wang: Art and Artlessness” at the GodwinTe r n b a c h M u s e u m . 9 9 7 4747. NAL OPEN ART May 2 through May 28 National Art League Annual Open Art Exhibition at 442 1 D o u g l a st o n P a r k wa y. Monday through Thursday and Saturday 1:30-4:00. Free. NY REGIONAL AESTHETICS Through June 30 “Express: L o c a l / N ew Yo r k Re g i o n a l Aesthetics” at the Queens College Art Center. 9973770. FLUSHING COUNCIL Through September 2011 “Within the Emperor’s Gard e n : ” T h e Te n T h o u s a n d Springs Pavilion.” Through November 14 “Endangered Art/ists: China.” November 19 through January 7 “Korean Painting Exhibition: A Walk Through Nature.” Permanent displays include “Jazz Live!”, “Flushing Town Hall:” Fact or Folklore,” an historical exhibition on Flushing Town Hall and its place in history, “Legends of the

Queens Jazz Trail” 463-7700. DOLL MUSEUM Wednesday through Saturdays 12:30-4:30 the Maria Rose Doll Museum in St. Albans. 276-3454. “”Love Connects Us All” and international doll collection. BAYSIDE HISTORICAL “The Castle,” “Native Bayside/Native Voice,” “If The Hat Fits,” “The Women of Bayside” and “Bayside Life” On the Edge of Modernit y” are on display at the Bayside Historical Societ y, 352-1548. Tuesday-Sunday 11-4. $3 donation. LOUIS ARMSTRONG Guided tours at the Corona museum. $8 adults, $6 seniors, students. 478-8274. ANTHROPOLOGY The Anthropology Museum of the People of New York and the Armenian Cultural Educational Resource Center Gallery are open at Queens College. 428-5650. LI ARCHIVES L aGuardia and Wagner Archives display various exhibits exploring the history of NYC. LaGuardia Communit y College. 482-5709. Free. ALLEY POND CTR. Va r i e t y o f e x h i b i t s a n d a chance to see nature upclose in the mini-zoo and aquarium. 229-4000 for a current program guide. KING MANOR Pre-Hampton 19th century get-away Village, Jamaica Village, is recaptured at King Manor Museum, in the middle of King Park. $2 adults, $1 children. Limited winter hours, by appointment only. 206-0545. ONDERDONK Self-guided tours of the national landmark building, built circa 1709. School programs, craft courses, horticultural activities and historical slide shows. Greater Ridgewood Historical Societ y, 1820 Flushing Avenue, Ridgewood. 456-1776. BOWNE HOUSE Original 17th, 18th and 19th century furnishings. 37-01 Bowne Street, Flushing. 3590528. $4 adults, $3 seniors, $2 students and children. POPPENHUSEN Visit the kindergarten room, Victorian Hall, old village jail cells and current exhibits, including the “September 11 Memorial,” “College Point Then and Now” and the “Native American Exhibit.” 10-2. 358-0067.

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Queens Focus

Army National Guard Pfc. Jennifer Alvarez 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. She is the daughter of Luz Tarazona of Woodhaven. Alvarez graduated in 2007 from Francis Lewis High School, Fresh Meadows.

Page 32 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

On March 31st the Guyanese and American Business and Professional Council (GABPC) brought the curtains down to end the celebrations of National Women’s History month by honoring the Borough of Queens “Top Cop.” The cobalt blue crystal award was presented to Chief Diana L. Pizzuti at the organization’s first Women’s Heritage Award for her unflagging commitment and courageous contributions to the people of New York City. Her outstanding leadership is an inspiration to women. The VIP affair held at the Marriott LaGuardia Hotel was a huge success, a poignant and exciting evening for the more than

120 celebrants who came out to salute the 29year-old veteran. Dignitaries at the event included the Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall; Queens District Attorney, Judge Richard Brown; Parks Commissioner, Estelle Cooper; Assistant Chief of Police Patrol Borough South James Secreto; Fire Chief John Sudnik and members of the Caribbean Consular Corp., and the academic and business communities. Chief Secreto introduced Chief Pizzuti, lending a personal touch as he recalled having worked with her as a rookie in Manhattan South. He told the gathering that he has great admiration for Pizzuti’s competence; the ability to write her own speeches and to speak Korean. Chief Pizzuti, also the event’s key speaker, is well known and respected throughout the city as an exemplary model of a woman who has excelled in a profession which at one time was largely dominated by males, exhibited the same fine leadership qualities she was honored for during her address. Speaking under the theme, “How Far Can You Go,” Chief Pizzuti introduced each of her uniformed officers and colleagues and new recruits present at the event, singing their praises for their contributions to the people of New York City and for their help to her in reaching for the top of the ladder. She ended her address and underscored the event’s theme with a personal touch when she shared

with the audience a poem titled “Believe” that she and her 13-yearold daughter read each night. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, in her tribute to Chief Pizzuti, began her remarks talking about her Guyanese heritage. She was born in the United States, although both of her parents migrated to the United States from Guyana. She praised Shanie Persaud, Executive Director of GABPC, for her consistent efforts to build bridges between Guyana, the Guyanese Boro President Helen Marshall presented the award to immigrant community Chief Pizzuti. Looking on are Queens DA Richard Brown, a n d t h e U S . J u d g e Shanie Persaud and Chief Secreto Brown brought greetings from Police Commissioner Ray Kelley Sorto Duran of Corona who won and evinced much laughter when he said that $25,000 on the Cash Multiplier instant game. all he had to bring were subpoenas that he Duran’s winning ticket was purchased at the had, in his back pocket. Compare Supermarket at 99-30 Corona Ave Among those supporting the event were in Corona. Queens Center Mall, Zara Realty Holding, Bibi Alim of Ozone Park who won New York Hospital of Queens, Queens Col- $50,000 on the Super Money X10 instant lege, Emblem Health, New York Life Insur- game. Alim’s winning ticket was purchased ance and Waste Management. at the J & J Best Coffee Shop at 128-08 111th Avenue in South Ozone Park. The New York Lottery announced the Send your people news to: names of area Lottery players who claimed a Queens Focus, Queens Tribune winning instant game ticket from April 3-9 150-50 14th Rd. and received a cash prize valued at $10,000 Whitestone, NY 11357 or more. The past week’s winners include:

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Models Of Queens

Bicoastal Gal Unlike many models, Alezia didn’t get her first break as an independent gal striking out on her own. No, she had a whole team behind her. “I’ve been modeling for a while now,” she said. “When I was 16 I was on a modeling team in high school. We did shows, we went to a competition in Washington, D.C.” This was, as you might imagine, not in Alezia Session Age: 20 New York. Though Alezia is Queens born Height: 5’ 8" and raised, she did go to high school in Maryland, but then came back home to Weight: 112 lbs Hollis. Stats: 32-24-28 But don’t expect her to stay put for long. Alezia is planning a trip out to Los Angeles this summer to live with a cousin and try to get her foot in the door on the West Coast modeling scene. “I’m going to do a photo shoot before I go,” so she has some fresh photos, and she’s already lining up photographers to take other pictures while she’s out there. Having worked on a temp project recently at a law office, Alezia is now devoting herself full-time to focus on the modeling – and music. “I’ve been traveling back and forth to a family music studio in Connecticut,” she said, and spending a great deal of time writing music and lyrics. “That’s what I do most of the time; I write, and that’s about it,” she said. Oh, and she has a “bad habit” of shopping. Though she admittedly doesn’t spend much time in her home borough, when she does, it’s usually to head out to a neighborhood restaurant or a local park. “I’m a very energetic person – high-spirited and trying to make it,” she said.

Photo by Ira Cohen

Odom for the Win!

Maybe the team’s frequent mound meetings need to include the MTA.

Page 42 Tribune April 21-27, 2011 • www.queenstribune.com

What Discount? When it comes to the Mets this season, it would seem they need all the help they can get. They lack a healthy ace pitcher, a reliable bullpen, Carlos Beltran’s knees and all that Bernie Madoff money – which some think would miraculously fix all the previously-mentioned woes. Tickets sales are not where the Mets want them either. Last year they sold 800,000 fewer tickets than 2009, and numbers probably won’t pick up for this year unless the team can turn things around. To help out, the Mets have partnered with the MTA to offer discounted tickets to a selection of games, with prices $20 or $30 off. To see all the specials, you’re supposed to be able to go to mets.com, but a thorough search of the site this past week when the deal was announced was fruitless. We hope that by the time you read this, the page shows how to get the discount, but if we’re waiting on the MTA to make it happen, that could take a while. Try calling (718) 507-TIXX, for the the “MetroCard” discount.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has come a long way from South Jamaica. Last week, his reality show with wife Khloe Kardashian, whom he married after a month of dating, premiered on E! with 2.6 million viewers. The pilot episode is already drama-filled with an unexpected special guest - Lamar’s estranged, heroin-addict father, Joe Odom, whom Lamar was not exactly excited about seeing. In any case, the show is a network success. We’re not sure if it’s better than an NBA Championship though.

Nice look, Lamar.

State Senator Joe Addabbo

Idol Star Pia Toscano

Good Government In this topsy-turvy world of high unemployment, wars, tsunamis, budget battles and teacher layoffs, it’s good to know that our politicians are keeping an eye on what’s really important to his or her constituents. State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. took a moment from fighting to end hydrofracking and keeping school aid in New York City to express his displeasure at Howard Beach’s Pia Toscano’s elimination from

American Idol. “Pia’s elimination from American Idol was shocking and premature,” Addabbo said. If I had the chance to give Pia a message, it would be to express my appreciation for her God-given talent, for exciting a community and for touching the hearts of millions of people around the country. I am so proud to have Pia within my district.” Is this what happens when there’s an on-time budget?

Staring Contest Actions will always speak louder than words. U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley “spoke out” on the House floor, criticizing the GOP first 100 days as the majority in Congress – using only the flick of his wrist. In an elaborate set up, which involved a large poster board, Crowley let his Republican colleagues know just exactly how he felt about their failure to produce a bill that will create jobs, their efforts to take away health care from the people and manipulation of the tax code to pursue their own ideological agenda. Cycling through 19 pages, he silently examined, “What has the GOP been up to?” Looking over his audience, Crowley sternly stared down his

GOP rivals with the look of a father glaring at his children who have just done something wrong – making sure each page made his point. If that didn’t scare the GOP, it certainly made us think of how productive we’ve been within the last three months. Sheesh… back to work.

Confidentially, New York . . .

Beat The GWB! Though Queensites were not too receptive about the re-named Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, the ex-mayor is reveling in it. At the bill signing to add his surname to the bridge, Koch said the structure is probably the best thing he could be identified with because it is in his former congressional district. He added that though the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge does not span the “inspiring heights” of the George Washington Bridge, it is a “workhorse.” Yes, the Queensboro is better than the George Washington Bridge – you’re not charged a toll, and it doesn’t lead you into New Jersey.

Congressman Joe Crowley delivers his message

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