Southeast Queens Press Epaper

Volume 12 Issue No. 23 June 10-16, 2011

PAGE 22

UNDER PRESSURE:

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Congressman Anthony Weiner, who represents parts of Jamaica and the Rockaways, is under pressure from Democrats and Republicans alike to resign following his admission of sharing lurid texts, photos and emails with women he met online.

By Joseph Orovic…Page 3

Online at www.QueensPress.com

News Briefs

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

Halloran Snow Claims Rebuffed A city investigation into claims that the Sanitation Dept. purposely slowed down cleaning after last December’s blizzard, an accusation made by three Sanitation supervisors and two DOS workers to Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) days after the blizzard, turned up empty.

The Dept. of Investigation released a report late last week after interviewing 150 witnesses, reviewing surveillance video and talking to community residents. The report said no evidence existed of a purposeful slowdown ordered by Sanitation bosses.

The report said two supervisors who went to Halloran were upset that their story ended up in the news days after the blizzard and felt that their words were being mischaracterized in those articles and stories. Halloran had said the supervisors told him Sanitation bosses had ordered a slowdown, at least in Halloran’s Northeast Queens district, as a protest against proposed demotions by the Bloomberg administration.

Instead, the DOI report blamed a lack of communication and ill-equipped workers within the Sanitation Dept., the unprecedented strength of the storm and difficulty getting Sanitation workers to work during the Christmas weekend, especially those who lived in the suburbs, for the slow response that left many Queens streets unplowed days after the Dec. 26 storm.

According to the report, surveillance video from various parts of the city, including Rockaway Boulevard, showed that the vast majority of Sanitation plows seen driving by had their plows down and were plowing the roads, with the exception of a handful. The DOI report also outlined complaints by Sanitation workers that they were ill-equipped to handle the snow, including from a worker who got stuck with his truck in Flushing who said he only had one set of chains, rather than the usual two.

The report also said Halloran refused to provide the names of the supervisors who came to him, first because he wanted to tell them he was giving their names to the DOI, and then later because he stated they invoked attorney-client privilege. Finally, when he gave DOI the name of one supervisor, Halloran said he did not know the name of the other. The supervisors then challenged much of what was reported about Halloran’s meeting with them.

In a statement, Halloran noted the DOI report admits they weren’t able to get access to everyone they wanted.

“The DOI report highlights some serious deficiencies, mismanagement, and employee misconduct, such as drinking on the job,” the statement said. “As the report states, the DOI was unable to track employees and get the quality of testimony it would like to have. Disturbing questions remain about why plows went down streets with their blades up or sat unmoving for hours as the snow fell.”

Stop And Frisks Rise The NYPD has drastically increased the number of “stop and frisks” it has

conducted around the city in early 2011, and the New York Civil Liberties Union say the cops are unfairly targeting minorities and few actions are ending in arrests.

More than 180,000 people were subject to “stop and frisks” in New York City in the first three months of 2011, 88 percent of those, about 161,000, resulted in no fines or arrests.

“The NYPD is turning black and brown neighborhoods across New York City into Constitution-free zones,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who added most of the stop and frisks are conducted on blacks and Hispanics.

In Queens, statistics from the NYPD show that the high numbers of stop and frisks are scattered throughout the borough, but have been conducted on blacks and Hispanics in numbers far greater than the minority population of the communities in which they occur.

The highest number of stop and frisks in the borough were recorded in the 109th Precinct, which covers Downtown Flushing and surrounding neighborhoods. Of the precinct’s 3,384 stops, half were of people of Hispanic descent despite that demographic making up only a little more than a third of the population; 451 were black – about 13 percent of the total – despite blacks composing of only 8 percent of the population.

The increased number of stop and frisks this year is a continuation of rising numbers in the last decade, according to the NYCLU. Citywide there were over 600,000 stop and frisks in 2010, almost double the number recorded six years earlier in 2004.

DOE Plans 16 New Tests In an effort to rate teacher performance, New York City’s Dept. of Education is developing a series of new tests – and the City’s public school students are expected to provide the evaluation.

Designed to spur reforms in state and local district education, the U.S. Dept. of Education’s $4.35 billion program, Race to the Top, funded New York State with nearly $700 million in federal grant money last August.

Of that sum, New York City will receive $256 million, 10 percent of which will be used to develop 16 new standardized exams.

The series of tests would cover English, math, science as well as social studies and would be spread out during a student’s time in the city’s school system; beginning in the third grade and continuing all the way through to High school; where students would be expected to take up to eight extra tests a year.

The series of tests would be an addition to the statewide English and math tests, as well as the Regents exams students already take. The testing would eat up approximately $25.6 million of the federal funding awarded to the City.

As part of the City’s effort to comply with the federal funding requirements, which obligates that states rate teachers, the tests will be aimed at providing data to analyze student growth as well as a teacher’s contribution to student learning.

Presstime Weiner Confesses:

Rep. Seeks Forgiveness Over Deeds

BY JOSEPH OROVIC The days before May 27 were comparatively humdrum for U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Kew Gardens). Fight the closure of the Glendale Social Security office. Demand Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any cases regarding healthcare. It fell in line with the left-of-center pronouncements expected from the liberal lawmaker.

Then came a picture posted on Weiner's Twitter account of enthused male genitalia enveloped in gray boxer briefs, directed at a female college student in Seattle. An ensuing 68-character tweet called the picture the work of a hacker, setting in motion more than a week of oncamera chats, confounding logic and ultimately blatant lies that nearly upended

scandal, apologizing profusely to anyone he thinks would demand one, and refusing to resign.

"I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most," he said. "I regret not being honest about this. I was embarrassed. I was humiliated. I was trying to protect my wife."

In the days since, the few comments by local lawmakers and a quick poll show a City possibly open to forgiveness - if he is not hiding anything One of the released Weiner self-portraits that have else.

A Marist poll found 51 percent gotten him in hot water. of 500 City voters said Weiner should not resign, 30 percent wanted his Weiner's two-decade career in politics.

On Monday, Weiner stood emotion- ouster and 18 percent were not sure.

When asked about his constituency at ally prostrate behind a podium in a Manhattan Sheraton Hotel, admitting he tried the press conference, Weiner said they to lie his way out of a social media sex can voice their opinion at the ballot box.

Does Weiner Need Therapy?

BY JOSEPH OROVIC Consider it a teachable moment.

LaGuardia Community College's Dr. David Bimbi offered a dose of perspective regarding U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's (D-Kew Gardens) actions. The psychologist has studied human sexuality, focusing on compulsivity as an ailment.

"What matters is when someone's personal behavior is interfering with their personal and work functioning and is it causing them stress," Bimbi said. "Anyone who watched the press conference knows it has clearly brought him stress."

The Assistant Professor refused to speculate about Weiner's specific issues, but took a broader look at the situation.

Compulsivity can be fueled by childhood trauma, post traumatic stress and a host of other causes.

"Power in and of itself can be seductive and lead them down all sorts of roads they weren't planning on taking and this is an example of that," Bimbi said. "Any individual could fall into something like Mr. Weiner did."

This is also an opportune moment to explore the issue of sexting, social media and its affect on our private lives.

"We're going to have to be vetting

our politicians given the prominence of sexting," Bimbi said. "It's a societywide conversation we have to have.

Social media is so new and the sexting phenomenon is so new, we can't really sort through what this behavior means."

For Weiner, the road to recovery will lead to the proverbial couch.

"He needs to mend his personal relationships, going on his own personal journey to self awareness and self-acceptance," Bimbi said.

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

Reps’ Bill To Halt VA Plans

BY SASHA ASUTRIE

Though the bill would stop the process from going forward, it would not meet the demands of the community and veterans, which is a full-fledged hospital.

“It can’t establish a full service hospital,” Meeks said. “It is not possible now because there is no money.”

The federal bill is not the only supporter of dismantling the EUL. In mid May, the City Council passed a resolution asking the VA to build a facility that would support the veterans in the area.

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said he is in support of the federal bill adding the site should be made into a full service and long term care facility that would not only benefit veterans, but the community at large.

Though the St. Albans VA Veterans Cares Act has yet to be voted on, Meeks said there is support in the House of Representatives and New York’s senators have vouched to support the bill. He hopes it will reach the president’s desk before the month ends.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 123.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

In a bid to stop the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and developers from going forward with the enhanced use lease process at the St. Albans Community Living Center, two New York congressmen have introduced the St. Albans VA Veterans Cares Act 2011.

“As opposed to having something the community and veterans do not want, we are willing to take the short term pain,” said U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), a sponsor of the bill.

Meeks and U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island) introduced the bill to stop the EUL process, which would allow the preferred developer, St. Albans Village, LLC, to build a new facility mirroring the existing center and lease 25 acres of land for 75 years.

“VA is aware of the legislation proposed by Congressman Meeks concerning the St. Albans Campus,” a VA press release states. “VA continues to evaluate the draft development plan that was submitted in December, consistent with the Enhanced Use Lease process.”

The center has been at the epicenter of a

tug of war between veterans and the Veterans Administration. Veterans insist the site should house a full service hospital and the VA’s current plan includes replacing the existing facilities with a new nursing home, psychosocial rehabilitation domiciliary and expanded outpatient facilities. The 25 acres garnered by the developer is slated for about 1,000 units along which would be entrenched in a jazz themed neighborhood complete with a jazz plaza and enhanced train station.

The VA’s rationale for not expanding to a full service hospital is that the amount of veterans the facility is projected to serve is declining. In February, John Mazzulla, a VA spokesman, said in 2000 there were 101,000 veterans in Queens.

He said as of Sept. 1, 2010, VA projected 60,800 and estimates the number of vets decrease to 43,600 by Sept. 2020. Mazzula said the projections take into account vets from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict.

“The location will not support an acute care hospital,” he said. “The current vets who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan that reside in Queens are 1,904 and in Nassau County it is 571.”

"I'm going to work very hard to win back their trust," he said. "This was a personal failing and I hope that they see it that way."

His Democratic Congressional colleagues have been less amenable.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed disappointment in the matter and wants to determine "whether any official resources were used or any other violation of House rules occurred."

The House Republican leadership has promised to investigate the matter, to ensure he did not use government resources to conduct his online trysts.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor called for Weiner's resignation.

"I welcome and will fully cooperate with an investigation by the House Ethics Committee," Weiner said in response.

The dust has yet to settle. In the time since his confession, transcripts of some of Weiner's conversations have emerged.

One of his Twitter followers revealed the Rep's attempts at PR coaching, suggesting responses to possible media questions.

Weiner copped to having kinky Internet conversations with at least six strangers via social networks, sending out explicit photos.

The May 27 tweet, and his quick attempt at a cover-up with, "Touché Prof Moriarity. More Weiner Jokes for all my guests! #Hacked!" led to a media onslaught. Slowly, his story fell apart, starting with the bizarre assertion that he could not say with "certitude" the twit pic was not his penis.

The wheels came off when two women came forward, giving conservative blogger and firebrand Andrew Breitbart more photos of Weiner, including several shirtless shots and another on his couch at home. Within an hour, the Congressman scheduled the press conference.

Weiner said his primary concern was his relationship with his wife Huma Abedin, and their families.

"We have been through a great deal together, and we will weather this," he said, choking back tears. "I love her very much and she loves me."

As of printing, Weiner was reportedly trying to make amends with his colleagues on Capitol Hill, with varying degrees of success.

Locally, Queens lawmakers serving in City Hall and Albany were not ready to offer comment on the situation. The lone response to the Tribune's inquiries came from Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (DForest Hills).

"I am deeply saddened about the unfortunate situation facing Congressman Weiner," she said. "I have known Anthony for a long time and know of his dedication and hard work as an elected official. My thoughts are with him and his family during this very difficult time."

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

Smith, HHSYC Tackle Foreclosures

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

With the housing market in limbo and foreclosures still plaguing the borough, State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) and the Hip Hop Summit Youth Council are rounding up the cavalry.

Smith introduced two bills which are supposed to stem the flow of foreclosures and HHSYC launched an initiative dubbed “Banks 4 A Better Community.”

Smith’s bill would tighten the mortgage banker licensing exemption, helping to prevent and address problems resulting from unregulated residential mortgage loans which are not subject to existing consumer protections. The bill targets mortgage brokers who complete less than five mortgages a year. Currently, brokers who total five mortgages or less a year are not subject to mortgage bankers licensing. “[The bill] lowers the number to three for one year and five in two years,” Smith said. “That puts a lot of people out of business.”

The other bill would help prevent and address illegal and fraudulent activities in the mortgage industry. The bill would allow better coordination between the Attorney General’s office and the New York State Banking Dept. Smith said the bill mandates that anyone who knows of a mortgage broker operating without a license must report it.

“Southeast Queens is ground zero for fraudulent mortgages,” Smith said. “This

trend is completely unacceptable and I am confident that my legislation will greatly impact enforcement on deceptive and abusive practices in the lending industry.”

Both bills passed the New York State Senate on Tuesday, and it is the third time in the last five years they have been approved by the Senate. Smith said the bills stalled in the Assembly in 2006 and 2008.

HHSYC Executive Director Randy Fisher said Banks 4 A Better Community would pressure banks to aid in the support of local communities devastated by the ongoing recession.

“About 3 million homes have been repossessed since the housing boom ended in 2006 and that could balloon to about 6

million by 2013,” said HHSYC founder and Chairman Charles Fisher. “The foreclosure crisis has been fueled by high unemployment, government budget cuts, plunging home values, and rising gas prices.”

Aside from pressuring banks to loosen their purse strings, the plan will put an emphasis on education and community partnerships.

“This is the most important initiative we have ever launched,” said Randy Fisher.

The initiative institutes biweekly workshops beginning on June 22 at the NAACP Jamaica Branch. There will be an attorney present to help those in the throes of foreclosure.

The plan has a bevy of political and local support.

Randy Fisher said he plans to work closely with Assemblyman Bill Scarborough (D-Jamaica) to secure funds “and investment capital from the banks for small business owners that may be losing their business and/or home to foreclosure.”

He also vows to work with Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica), and Leonard Person, Jr., author of “Hood Estate,” to educate homeowners on their rights, while offering them innovative options to solve their foreclosure problem.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 123.

Library Faces Fiscal Cuts

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

With looming budgets threatening to inflict pain on every City agency, friends of the Queens Library system are launching preemptive strikes.

On Monday, Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) hosted a rally in front of the Laurelton branch. He described the library as an educational hub and safe haven.

If the proposed City budget is approved, the Queens Library system stands to lose $25.3 million, which is a 30 percent reduc-

tion in funding, and 38 percent decrease from 2008 levels.

The cuts would translate into the layoffs of 471 staffers, 48 libraries being closed at least four days a week; only 13 libraries would be open five days a week; there would be 13,000 fewer free programs.

“We have a sacred obligation as a society to give even more to the next generation,” Sanders said.

Sanders balked at Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s notion that the City does not have the funds to sustain the library. He

said a tax on hedge funds could garner the City millions.

“Why aren’t the rich on the table when we are forced to sacrifice for them?” he asked.

Imani Smith, an avid user of the library, pleaded for the Laurelton branch to remain open.

“Closing the library would not be a good thing for the children,” she said.

“Without the library we are nothing.”

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 123.

Immigrants, Pols Hail Program’s End

BY JASON BANREY Following public protest and considerable concerns from immigrant advocates, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced New York State's suspension of the Secure Communities (S-Comm), a federal immigration enforcement plan.

"There are concerns about the implementation of the program as well as its impact on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement in New York," Cuomo said.

"As a result, New York is suspending its participation in the program."

On June 1, Cuomo froze the state's participation in S-Comm, a move which immigrant rights groups hailed as the beginning of the end of a federal strategy which undercut due process and caused fear throughout the borough's immigrant community.

Under S-Comm, which is directed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), local law enforcement agencies are required to forward the fingerprints of individuals who are booked into local and county jails to the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. This collaboration allows the DHS to compare the prints to others on its files.

Once fingerprints are cross checked, officials who suspect an individual is in the country illegally, or is a non-citizen with a criminal record, may be transferred into the detention and deportation system.

According to immigrant advocacy groups throughout the city, Cuomo's decision will essentially deactivate counties

which were participating in the S-Comm program.

Since the state's participation in the program was announced, State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) has long been an outspoken critic of S-Comm. "[S-Comm] was tearing families apart," Peralta said. "It was supposed to focus on dangerous criminals, but the vast majority of those deported through the program were hardworking immigrants with no criminal record."

According to DHS annual report, since 2001 there has been a more than 50 percent increase in U.S. deportations. In 2010, approximately 392,000 individuals were deported compared to 189,026 in 2001.

That statistic is one that Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of New York Immigration Coalition, believes proves there is a "deportation epidemic."

"New York State's decision is going to be a springboard towards getting the DHS to change its tactics which are ineffective," Hong said. "The next step is for communities to unite and press DHS to stop this program nationally and choose reform."

Although S-Comm was not put in to effect in New York City, since it was approved by former Gov. David Paterson in May 2010, the program has rolled out in to 27 of New York's 62 counties.

Since then, many immigrant advocacy groups, elected officials and borough resi-

dents have been critical about the program.

According to the DHS, ICE's collaborative strategy is designed to improve public safety by transforming the way criminal aliens are identified and removed from the country.

Although ICE states it is committed to the protection of civil rights and liberties of individuals, many immigrant advocates and elected officials criticized the programs capability of deporting many immigrants who have never been convicted of any crime or have been involved in lowlevel offenses, like traffic violations.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 128.

Albany Agrees On Ethics Reform

BY DOMENICK RAFTER Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders have reached a tentative deal on an ethics reform package with only weeks to go before state legislators break for the year.

Called the "Clean Up Albany Act of 2011," the deal would create a 14-member panel to oversee ethics issues concerning the legislative and executive branches. The panel, which will replace the Commission of Public Integrity, will have jurisdiction of state officials and employees in both the executive and leg-

islative branch. Its 14 members will include six appointed by the governor and lieutenant governor, at least three of whom must be from the opposite party, and eight appointed by legislative leaders, four from each major party.

Furthermore, the bill would force legislators to disclose more about their income and business dealings, as well as name any clients who have business with the state. The bill would force lobbyists to disclose any business relationships with the state government worth more than $1,000. There will be a new database of any individual or firm that appears in a

representative capacity before any state governmental entity.

Also, new rules for independent campaign expenditures will be created by the state Board of Elections and violations will be increased. The bill would also allow prosecutors to seek to force convicted politicians to forfeit their pensions.

"Government does not work without the trust of the people - and this ethics overhaul is an important step in restoring that trust," Gov. Cuomo said.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125.

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OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS 150-50 14th Road Whitestone, NY 11357 (voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417 email news@queenspress.com The PRESS of Southeast Queens Associate Publisher

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Editorial Anthony’s Shame The PRESS has been a fan of Anthony Weiner since he first hit the public spotlight. He has worked diligently for the people of Queens, his constituents at home, the State of New York and as an effective member of the United States Congress.

This week we discovered that despite the emblazoned “S” we sometimes envision him wearing under his shirt and tie, there is more he was willing to show, and well below the neckline.

This was very poor judgment on his part. He is one of a handful of elected officials we thought would be impervious to the more scandalous decisions to which so many of his fellow politicians seem to fall prey.

The confession this week about sexting, lewd images and raunchy conversations with people he met online have tarnished our image of him – and we are not alone. The response to his admission has ranged from disgust, to the obvious jokes and to calls for his resignation.

We cannot go that far. What he did is indicative of a person who has a problem that he may not have even been aware of, a problem that we were told, in his confession, has now been fully exposed. He said there is no more to tell. He spared us the lurid details that others have salaciously spread throughout the Web and in print. He welcomes the investigation by the House Ethics Committee. He said he has nothing to hide.

And, cautiously – but with a skeptical eye – we believe him.

What matters today is his ability to continue to serve his constituents; his ability to work with his Congressional colleagues; his resilience to endure the barbs of public humiliation and get past this.

We hope that he bears in mind the needs of the people of Queens, and considers that to carry more weight than the pressure he may feel from Republicans or even the people on his own side of the aisle. It would be a shame if he were pressed out of office not for actual misdeeds but to appease a party – either one.

Letters Enough, Already To The Editor: While Mr. Weiner’s indiscretion gives a new meaning to “inside the beltway” I don’t think we should be too hard on him. As all who have met him know, the Congressman is an active and vital man and his humanity is a valuable asset to the bloodless Washington bureaucracy. He also

quickly came clean about his initial and very understandable false claim of his Twitter feed being hacked.

Though his wife may have a thing or two to say, we should not be too hard on Mr. Weiner, and neither should the rightwing pundits, especially since the current cover of Mens Health magazine is another (right wing) congress-

Letters man showing his abs. It’s a crazy culture we live in, and so such hard driving workaholics as Mr. Weiner should probably delegate to staff the use of Twitter. It is a seductive technology that seems private but oops suddenly is not.

Let’s move on to important issues, like saving health care and addressing the general dysfunction of Congress itself. And let’s be mindful of those tabloid and other extreme political interests that are trying to take out Mr. Weiner to advance their goals.

P. A. Carroll, Astoria

Voters Will Decide To The Editor: One of the most stunning aspects of the Weiner affair is the arrogance of power that we saw on display and have come to expect with many of our elected officials. Weinergate is merely the latest example. In March of this year, the local press revealed that newly elected Councilman Ruben Wills had ignored two outstanding criminal arrest warrants for more than a decade. Only after he was exposed by the media did he say “I take full responsibility.”

Oops.

Now, Congressman Weiner wants us to believe that he is truly sorry for his actions and his questionable judgment. Sorry about the arrogance which was on full display a few days prior when he sneered at a CNN reporter, calling him a “jackass” for asking a question about this matter? Sorry for trying to blame political opponents for hacking his Twitter account? Did Weiner even know

the age of the females to whom he sent racy photos and sexting messages? When did the social media profile pages become the de facto standard for age verification? Even bartenders know it is illegal to serve patrons who say they are 21 even when they are not.

Weiner said he lied because he was embarrassed and wanted to protect his family. No, he lied because he thought he could get away with it. Only after consulting with legal experts over the weekend and learning that the press was about to expose more salacious details did he realize the jig was up.

Is Weiner fit for office? The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he would never be caught. Voters, you decide.

Bob Friedrich, Glen Oaks

He Should Resign To The Editor: Because of the dishonor he has brought to the voters, his family, the Congress and to himself, the only honorable thing Anthony Weiner can do is resign.

David Rivkin, Jamaica

WRITE ON: The PRESS of Southeast Queens,

150-50 14th Rd. Whitestone, NY 11357 email news@queenspress.com fax: (718) 357-9417

Weiner’s District Eyed For Elimination

A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

They say if disgraced U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner doesn’t resign as the representative for the 9th Congressional District, which cuts a swath across Brooklyn and Queens, redistricting could be used to get rid of him.

There’s an old saying my grandparents’ generation used to describe such situations: “If duck won’t leave pond, pond will have to leave duck.”

So essentially, the powers that be in Albany could be prevailed upon to “dr y up” Weiner’s “pond,” rendering him districtless. Due to inaccurate 2010 Census numbers, New York was scheduled to lose two congressional seats anyway. One would be eliminated somewhere upstate and the other within our city’s borders.

Now that Weiner has turned into a pariah, it may be his district that gets excised from the

congressional map of the city. He went from “hot” to “not” overnight and there is no one out there, it seems, who’s willing to stick their neck out to save Weiner’s.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not make a call on his behalf. In fact, he told reporters earlier this week that if Weiner were to call him for advice in handling his scandal he’d tell him, “Call somebody else.” Ouch!

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has also called for an ethics inquiry into his sextapades to see if House rules were broken. No one from the New York Congressional Delegation has uttered a supportive word on his behalf. And practically every Republican colleague of note is calling for his resignation due to the scandal.

As Sir Walter Scott says in his epic poem, “Marmion,” “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!”

Weiner has admitted to hav-

ing tweeted the “bulging crotch” photo he originally said a hacker had done, and also admitted to having regular sexting sessions with numerous women.

The transcripts of text messages to one woman are so graphically sexual that words are redacted all over it to make it more reader-friendly.

Shame on him for not having the sense and the decency to control himself; for setting up his district as a target for elimination as a means of getting rid of him!

A lot of people really did like this guy’s spunk as a representative and supported his ambition to be mayor some day. But with one click of a “send” button, it has all gone up in smoke.

Weiner wasn’t thinking about his public life when he was up late at night dirty talking via Twitter, texting and other electronic means. He was thinking simply of his carnal cravings. We must now long for the good old days when a guy would enjoy himself

by himself if he so desired, and got on with life.

Time was when old wives tales held that the punishment for that would be “blindness.” But we are now living in the age of high technology and some perverts have taken what used to be a solitary and private activity onto the electronic super highway, endangering their marriages and careers with reckless behavior.

If a New York City Congressional District must be eliminated, then I suppose there will be many legislators quietly thanking Weiner for messing up and saving theirs districts by so doing.

We can’t say with “certitude” that this will happen, but if it does, it’s too bad for the people of the Ninth that their representative may have cost them a seat in the House. Weiner’s membership is up in the air because he just couldn’t control his member and his ego.

I wish him healing and forgiveness and wish his constituents a better deal.

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June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7

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Weiner ‘Coulda Been A Contender’

Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

By HENRY STERN The next mayor of New York City stands in the shoes of the next president of France.

Both highly successful political careers have been derailed by the same nemesis: inappropriate behavior toward women beHenry cause of the need for immediate gratification of the man’s sexual desires.

Of course, what the self-destructive duo did, in different ways, was indicative of a mental disorder. Leaders of other countries and cities have been mentally ill. They continue until their disorder becomes public, usually as a result of an act so at variance with conventional ethical standards that it would not be tolerated by the electorate.

What is it that makes people who have everything to lose - and nothing to gain, but transitory relief - engage time and again in conduct which results in their losing everything? We don’t know; we are not psychiatrists. But self-destructive behavior is not new. Its most direct example is suicide. People do that when the pain of living is worse for them than the fear of

dying. Former Queens Borough Pre sident Donald Mane s, faci ng imprisonment in 1986, chose that cowardly route.

In the cases of Governor Eliot Spitzer and Congressman Anthony Weiner, the suicide is profe ssional. The y reStern main alive, and are free to build new careers. They both, at this point, have loving wives. Neither man will reach the heights he could have at tained, but they will not starve.

Why, oh why, do these gifted and talented people engage in such obviously ruinous behavior? How could the sitting governor believe that no one would recognize him on his repeated liaisons? How many people did the Congressman proposition on Tw it ter w it hout realizing that any one of them could turn him in? It only takes a single complaint to topple the house of cards. Then others will rush in, confirming the sordid tale.

(Tiger Woods?)

I have high regard for Anthony Weiner’s better side, which I believe exists somewhere under all the lies, self-deception and cruelty to others. He has suffered from his

family’s instability, his brother’s tragic death, his comic last name and rejection by his peers before he became too impor tant to ignore. The Sammy Glick comparison may be the most obvious literary reference, but I like to believe there was more to Anthony than that.

I hope he makes the best of his new life. There are four dangers lying ahead. First is censure or expulsion from the House of Repre sentat ive s, which is controlled by Republicans. What better way for the hypocrites to demonstrate their purit y than by removing the offender? The second is t he Democrat ic primar y i n 2012, where he would undoubtedly be challenged. The third is the general election, in which, although it has not been noted, he received only 59 percent of the vote i n 2010 agai nst a lit tleknown Republican opponent. The fourth hurdle is redistricting. When the lines are drawn for 2012, his seat will be the first to be butchered.

His downfall is a personal tragedy. It is also a loss for the cit y a nd state. T here are fe w enough smar t polit icians to let one go down without an expression of sympathy, and regret over

what might have been if he were well.

There are government and private agencies created to help the physically challenged. It is unfortunate that, in the field of mental health, people are less forgiving and help is more difficult to secure, par ticularly when it invol ve s disclosure of behav ior

which must be secret because of valid social norms.

The immortal words of Terry Malloy come to mind in another Schulberg reference: “I coulda been a contender.”

Anthony Weiner was a contender, but he could have been a champion. starquest@nycivic.org

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Police Blotter Compiled By DOMENICK RAFTER

105th Precinct

tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. All calls are confidential.

Murder Arrest On Tuesday, May 31 at approximately 1:10 p.m., police responded to a report of an unconscious and unresponsive man inside 208-25 104th Ave. in Queens Village. Upon arrival, police discovered Ken Perpall, 24, with multiple gunshot wounds to his body. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene. Police later arrested Kevin Fisher, 30, of 168-53 118th Rd., St. Albans and charged him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

106th Precinct Shot At Home On Monday June 6 at approximately 4:26 p.m., police responded to a 911 call of an unconscious man inside 107-53 128 St. in South Richmond Hill.

Upon arrival police discovered Norman Mizzell, 30, shot in the chest and stomach lying face down inside his bedroom. EMS responded to the location and pronounced him dead at the scene.

107th Precinct Livery Robbery The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the following three suspects wanted in connection with a robbery that occurred in Jamaica Estates.

114th Precinct Four Stabbed

Police are looking for these suspects in a livery taxi robbery.

On Monday, May 30, at approximately 6:40 a.m., three Hispanic men hailed a livery cab at the corner of Union Turnpike and Grand Central Parkway in Kew Gardens Hills and asked the driver to take them to College Point. Once inside the car, the suspects told the driver they had no money and asked him to pull over at the corner of 188th Street and Radnor Road in Jamaica Estates. There, the suspects pulled the driver from the car and forcibly removed his wallet and cell phone. The suspects then left the driver and fled southbound on 188th Street in the vehicle, a gray 2001 Lincoln Town Car. The driver was not injured and the vehicle was recovered the next day in Brooklyn.

The first suspect is described as a His-

panic man, 18-23, approximately 5-foot10 170 lbs., with black hair in a ponytail.

He was wearing a red, plaid long-sleeve shirt and dark jeans.

The second suspect is described as a Hispanic man, 18-24, approximately 5foot-9 170 lbs., wearing a dark T-shirt and dark jeans, and hair in a ponytail.

The third suspect is described as a black man, 18-22, approximately 5-foot8, 180 lbs., with a shaved bald head and tattoos covering both arms, including a cross on his right forearm.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the following men wanted in connection with an assault that occurred in Astoria.

On Sunday April 10, at approximately 2:22 a.m. in front of 35-05 Broadway in Astoria, four men sustained stab wounds during a physical altercation with another group of men.

The victims, all white men in their 20s, were transported to Elmhurst Hospital where they were all treated for their injuries and later released.

The suspects are described as four white men as well.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit 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 confidential.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9

Queens Wins!

Queens Takes Cricket Championship In Match Against Brooklyn’s Best

BY JOHN L. AARON

Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

How It Happened Batting first, Markowitz’ Brooklyn XI scored 124 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs, with top scorers, Asad Munawar and L. Richards, each leading with 28. Munawar was more aggressive, reaching the ropes on five occasions, with Gregory Anthony chipping in with 22, and opener Romeo Dean contributing 13.

Just as Munawar seemed set to deposit a sizable total in the Brooklyn account, Queens Skipper Karen Ganesh had him caught with the score on 54. The other five wickets would fall at 59, 69, 101, 111 and 118.

Bowling for Queens: Adrian Gordon – with figures of 2-0-11-2, Andy Mohamed 4-1-12-2, skipper Karan Ganesh 4-0-18-1 and Prashant Nair 4-0-20-1 were responsible for the six dismissals.

Queens took to the crease needing 6.35 runs per over and opening with Henderson Blades and Andy Mohamed.

Photos courtesy of www.newyorkcricket.com

On a day best suited for a championship final last Saturday, the Borough of Queens’ Helen Marshall XI defeated a Marty Markowitz’ Brooklyn XI at Canarsie Park in Brooklyn in the culmination of a citywide cricket championship.

The Queens XI is comprised of players from the Eastern American Cricket Association (EACA); their defeat of neighboring Brooklyn’s best bowlers and batters was a point of pride between the rival boroughs.

It was a case of “third time’s the charm” for Queens XI, led by Karen Ganesh. While Brooklyn and Manhattan have each won the championship once, Queens has always fought hard. This time around, with a somewhat younger team including USA national players Adrian Gordon, Clain Williams and former USA national Under-19 player Andy Mohamed, the Queens strikers proved to be too much for the Brooklyn XI.

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffries (left) with cricket officials and victorious Queens XI team.

Blades would be the first to go for 12, bowled by Andre Kirton with the score of 32. His opening partner Andy Mohamed would top score with 26, including 4x4s. Other significant contributors were Skipper Ganesh with 24, Mark Gomes, 22 and Adrian Gordon, 12, as Queens wrapped up the victory with 127 for 7 off 18 overs.

Andre Kirton was clearly the pick of the bowlers for Markowitz’ Brooklyn XI, nabbing 3 wickets for 22 off 4 overs including 1 maiden. Imran Mohammed grabbed 2 for 18 off 4 overs, while skipper Mark Audain snatched 1 for 16 off 2 overs. There was one run out victim – Zaaid Majeed.

Queens skipper Karen Ganesh with 24 not out and one wicket was awarded the Man-of-the-Match, although one would have thought Andy Mohamed, the match’s top scorer with 28 and two wickets would have earned the honor. Nonetheless, it was a very exciting match watched by hundreds of fans and New York City Parks Dept. officials, including new Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffries.

A Growing Sport In addressing the gathering following the presentation of the hardware, USA

Henderson Blades of Queens XI evades a vicious bouncer.

Cricket Executive Secretary John Aaron thanked the Parks Dept. for doing a fantastic job of recognizing cricket as an emerging sport within the five boroughs and making a concerted effort to accommodate the sport with dedicated playing spaces.

Aaron noted that Queens Borough President Helen Marshall would be thrilled to learn that the 2011 Mayor’s Cricket trophy now belonged to her Borough for the third time in five years.

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Jeffries said that he was aware that he was following in the footsteps of predecessor Julius Spiegel, who was very passionate and dedicated to the sport, and promised to work with the New York Cricket Region in seeking sponsorship for future tournaments, as well as improving the infrastructure to accommodate the growth of the sport.

Commissioner Jeffries reached out to

Karan Ganesh collects the MVP trophy from Krish Prashad. some cricket stakeholders present asking what he could do as Commissioner to help the sport grow, and within the almost 5,000 acres of parks space in Brooklyn.

The 2011 Mayor’s T20 Tournament was sponsored in part by EACA President Rudy Persaud and Golden Arrow Sports Bar located at 107-14 101st Avenue, South Ozone Park.

About Cricket

Cricket is a game that originated in England, and was brought to all corners of the British Empire in the 1800s. Current and former colony nations have preserved the cricket tradition, and thousands of Queens immigrants from South Asia, the West Indies, Guyana and other former British territories have made the sport popular in our borough.

Reacting to the demand, the City Parks Dept. has established cricket pitches in parks in Queens, including Baisley Pond, Cunningham, Kissena and St. Albans parks.

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the center of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team.

A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, run-

ning to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an inning.

In professional cricket, the length of a game ranges from 20 overs of six bowling deliveries per side to Test cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.

Cricket was first played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, it had developed into the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played overseas and by the mid-19th century the first international matches were being held. The ICC, the game’s governing body, has 10 full members.

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June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11

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pix

York Graduates

Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

It’s A Parade Photo by Ira Cohen

York College President Dr. Marcia Keizs welcomes students and guests to the college’s commencement exercises last week.

NYS Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, Assemblyman David Weprin, and State Sen. Malcolm Smith at the Laurelton Memorial Day Parade.

Haiti Flag Day

Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

Happy grads await their time on stage.

The New York City Council hosted its annual Haitian Flag Day celebration at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic School May 21. Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie (4th l.) was joined by Council Members James Sanders (3rd r.), Ruben Wills (r.) and Matheiu Eugene (l.) in paying tribute to the culture and contributions of Haitian Americans.

Valedictorian Trudy Rowe celebrates as The Rev. Charles Norris was a she leaves the stage. guest of honor.

Happy Birthday

College Summit

The Lawrence Nursing Care Center, located on 350 Beach 54th St., Arverne, recently celebrated the 102nd birthday of resident Melissa Staten.

College Summit New York celebrated its 5,000 students and 40 partner schools at its Second Annual Awards Luncheon May 25. The award recipients were recognized for helping to create and foster a college-going culture in their schools, leading to increased college enrollment. The keynote was given by Russell Simmons, CEO of Rush Communications and cofounder of Def Jam Records.

Borough Beat

Flushing, Jax Hts Still The Top Stops

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Photos by Ira Cohen

If you ride the 7 and E subway lines and find they are always crowded, statistics from the MTA show that you’re probably right. Two of the stations along the 7 ranked as the busiest subway stations in Queens in 2010; four are served by the E train.

The 7 train’s eastern terminus at Flushing-Main Street ranked as the busiest station in the entire borough in 2010, with more than 18.6 million riders. FlushingMain Street is also the tenth busiest station in the city – the busiest outside of Manhattan and the busiest citywide for stations that are only served by one line.

The second busiest station in the borough, 74th Street-Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights, which also

Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

The main Jackson Heights station is the second busiest in Queens.

serves the 7 train as well as the E, F, R and M trains, saw more than 16.2 million riders in 2010 and was the borough’s busiest station on weekdays.

The E train serves the rest of the top five busiest stations including Jamaica Center-Parsons-Archer, the terminus of the E train, which also serves the J and Z lines. More than 11 million rides were counted there in 2010. The Kew GardensUnion Turnpike station was used by 8.7 million riders and 8.1 million swipes of a MetroCard were recorded at Forest Hills71st/Continental Avenue.

All five stations saw an increase in passengers from 2009, the most significant being a 2.7 percent increase at Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike. They are also served by numerous bus lines that access Queens neighborhoods with no direct subway service like Maspeth, East Elmhurst, College Point, Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, Jamaica Estates, Laurelton and Springfield Gardens.

By comparison, the busiest station in Brooklyn, Court Street-Borough Hall, recorded 11.1 million riders in 2010, while the busiest in the Bronx, 161 Street-Yankee Stadium, served 8.4 million riders. To give perspective, the Times Square-42nd Street station remained the busiest in the city with more than 54 million riders in 2010. That station serves as a connec-

tion point for 11 subway lines and links riders to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

The biggest drop in ridership in Queens for 2010 was recorded in the Rockaways along the A line, specifically at stations like Beach 25th Street and Beach 67th Street, which were closed for a good part of the year for reconstruction. The stations saw a complete overhaul with new platforms, cano- The Flushing-Main Street station is still the busiest in Queens. pies, lightning and public address systems.

Outside of Rockaway; the A line also Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard in suffered anemic ridership. Broad Chan- Ozone Park also saw increases in ridernel saw the lowest ridership last year, with ship, of 2.8 percent and 4.4 percent reonly 92,523 riders. Howard Beach-JFK spectively.

Ortiz said the annual ridership numAirport, saw the biggest drop in the borbers are used by the MTA to determine ough, at 7 percent.

Beach 36th Street in Edgemere saw how to allocate agency resources, includthe biggest increase of the year, at 24 ing more trains and staff.

“Ridership numbers are the biggest percent. MTA Spokesman Kevin Ortiz said that could be explained by riders who tool we use to adjust service accordingly,” would normally use the nearby stations he said. closed for work using the next nearest Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at station. Major bus transfer points along drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357the A line, including Far Rockaway-Mott 7400, Ext. 125.

A&E

African Art: The Essence of the Mask

BY JASON COHEN

Religious, spiritual and cultural African masks were on display as part of the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery exhibition, "Through the Eyes of our Ancestors: African Art from the James and Marjorie L. Wilson Collection."

The gallery, which has been at the college since 1969, holds an African art exhibit each year for six weeks, and this year it runs through June 30. All of the art is primarily from the 1920s and 1930s, and was donated from a collector. This ex-

hibit, which contains 48 pieces stands out in the gallery, said gallery Executive Director Faustino Quintanilla.

"It's very unusual to find the sculpture with these materials," Quintanilla said.

This exhibit, unlike most other primitive exhibits, is more than just masks, he explained. While masks of different cultures are appealing and interesting, the fact that "Through the Eyes of our Ancestors" contains clothing along with the masks is much more eye-catching.

"I think it's very expressive," he said, referring to the fact that the art

Restaurant Review

Small Name, Big Taste UVARARA 79-28 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village (718) 849-0052 uvararany.com CUISINE: Wine Bar & Italian HOURS: Tues-Sat, Noon-11 p.m., closed Mondays PARKIG: Street CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MC, Disc

African mask used in societies for spiritual and cultural rituals.

Sande Society Mask, a mask in African societies that controls the initiation and social advancement among women.

Queens Arts Express To Ride Through Boro

BY DOMENICK RAFTER The 7 train is sometimes called the "international express" because it serves immigrant communities, but next week, it will become the "art express."

The Queens Art Express Festival is returning for its third year next week, featuring four days of events in neighborhoods along the 7 and N lines from Long Island City to Flushing. The festival will kick off Wednesday, June 15, at Kaufman Astoria Studios from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The festival includes a barrage of events in Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona and Flushing, focusing mainly along the 7 train, and also the N in Astoria. The theme of the festival is "A World of Art in One Borough," tying it into the cultural and ethnic diversity along the neighborhoods served by the "international express."

Some of Queens' most prominent cultural institutions, such as the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, Thalia

Spanish Theater in Sunnyside, Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, the cultural institutions in Flushing Meadows Corona Park including the New York Hall of Science and Queens Museum of Art, as well as Queens Botanical Gardens and Flushing Town Hall are taking part.

There will also be live musical performances in three 7 train subway stations; Flushing-Main Street, Mets-Willets Point, and 74th Street-Broadway.

The festival goes beyond just art.

Some restaurants are offering deals to festival goers who show their MetroCards. In Jackson Heights, the festival is coinciding in some of the June in Jackson Heights events.

The festival will continue through Sunday, June 19. For more information on events going on during the festival and participating restaurants, visit queensartexpress.com Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 125.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15

Driving down Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, there is a small building on the south side, with its ornate stone exterior, that when spotted, raises a question. What is this old-world style building nestled in a modern American commercial strip? The answer is perhaps one of the few things in this mostly Italian-American neighborhood that is actually authentically Italian; uvarara wine bar and restaurant.

For anyone who has travelled in Italy, uvarara feels familiar. Windows are so large that they could double as doors, a decorative interior with Moorish designs flank the windows and arch across the dining room, wine cupboards sit on the walls, the high ceilings have wood beams; the scene is reminiscent of Southern Italy or Sicily. Also, a curtain made of wine corks hides the bustling kitchen, a lantern hangs over the wine bar. It's not a big place, with only a handful of tables, giving more of a private dining room feeling than a restaurant and bar.

Its name speaks volumes. In Italian, uva rara means "rare grape," and this place is a rare gem in this part of Queens, where you normally find pizzerias, pubs, catering halls and fast-food restaurants.

It feels more like it belongs in Astoria, Forest Hills, Williamsburg or Little Italy.

On this specific Friday, I'm here for a private party, a cousin's graduation.

Our dinner is family-style. We start off with cubed foccacia bread with a tomato and pepper paste for garnish. The garnish was a delightful treat: a hint of spicy and a strong taste of pepper. It made an excellent conversation food; talk while picking up a cube and smothering it with paste, pop it into your mouth, savor for a few seconds, swallow and get back to talking - perhaps about the paste.

We then dined on Arugula Donatello

salad, a plate of fresh arugula topped with shaved Parmigiano cheese and cherry tomatoes, dressed in balsamic vinaigrette. Being a slave to intense f lavor, my preference would have called for more dressing, but the salad worked well without it. The tomatoes were ripe and juicy.

A pasta dish came next: Penne Bolognese. What was exciting about this dish, besides the pasta being perhaps the most perfectly cooked I've ever had, were the big chunks of meat in the sauce.

Big enough to pass as meatballs, the chunks had amazing flavor and made me yearn for more.

Our main course was a choice of Chicken Cacciatore; Braised Chicken with herbs, onions and cooked tomatoes, or Salmon Classico, a filet sautĂŠed with onions and capers. I choose the salmon but sampled my cousin's chicken.

I found them both a unique treat. I was a bit unsure of the salmon when it came out. It was buried, smothered by a pile of cooked onions and capers, but they added a thrilling flavor to the filet. The chicken was also complemented well by its onion and tomato dressing.

For dessert we were treated to authentic panna cotta, that's cooked cream for you English speakers. The almond-flavored panna cotta was sharp and very sweet and its taste reminded me of an evening drink of amaretto on the rocks. It was the perfect nightcap for an evening of eating and celebrating in this old-world throwback. uvarara's other life is as a wine bar, so my beverage of choice was wine, a light and fruity Riesling that comes from the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige - an area so far north in Italy that it was actually part of Austria until 1919. uvarara's wine list features dozens of different wines, red and white, from every region of Italy, including the oft-forgotten islands of Sicily and Sardinia. uvarara also hosts special events, including wine tastings and Thursday nights are jazz nights featuring recording artist Michele Ramo. For more information on uvarara and its offering, visit uvararany.com -Domenick Rafter

has regalia with it.

Some of the artifacts on display are the N'tomo mask, which is made of wood, cowrie shells, abrus precatorius seeds and wax. It is used for young boys as initiation into society. There is also the Korubla Mask Ensemble Poro Society, which is made of wood, brown cloth, feathers, quills, fur, raffia, bird beak and kaolin. With this mask, human elements are combined with the jaws and teeth of a white crocodile, warthog horns, porcupine pills and bird feathers. Each element represents a symbolic power in society.

There is also the Bird Mask Ensemble, which is made of wood, metal, raffia, feathers and snakeskin. The bird mask is symbolic of good luck. Additionally, there is the Kifwebe Mask, which is made of wood, raffia and kaolin pigment. This mask was used by women to find witches and was used by men to breathe fire.

Since the opening of the exhibit, reaction from the community and students has been amazing, Quintanilla said.

People always appreciate art, but they especially enjoy seeing perspectives from other parts of the world.

"I think it's because it's so unusual to see textiles and masks together," he said.

"It's good to learn about other cultures."

African art is quite different from art in the Western Hemisphere, he explained.

It is influenced heavily by missionaries, culture, dancing and music. While most art throughout the world are masks, African art is a combination of art and textiles, Quintanilla said.

"To find masks with the 'whole thing' is rare," he said. "It's a totally different feeling without the mask."

Reach Intern Jason Cohen at jcohen@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 124.

Faith

SEQ Clergy Join To Combat AIDS

BY SASHA AUSTRIE With AIDS’ imprint still flourishing in society, Southeast Queens’ religious leaders are delving into a topic that is still taboo for many.

“Most religious people […] have a tendency to sweep it under the rug,” said Imam Charles Bilal of the Masjid Al-Alham Buliah.

Religious and community based organizations are spearheading the 2011 Queens Health/Wellness Expo and Tal-

ent Competition in collaboration with the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, from noon to 6 p.m. on June 18, at the Robert Ross Life Johnson Center at 172-12 Linden Blvd.

“This is going to be a great event because not only are we showcasing talents in the borough of Queens, but we are doing health awareness and prevention,” said Darrick Whitley, a coordinator for NBLCA. “It is going to be a big celebration,” Bilal said. “The most important thing is

to get our people tested.”

Whitley said the event touches on all aspects of health. There will be HIV testing, blood pressure screenings along with acupuncture and a podiatrist on site.

The talent show/health expo is the first of its kind in the borough, and is sponsored by 12 faith-based and five community- based organization.

“We as the masjid got involved three years ago,” Bilal said. “HIV doesn’t [attack] a specific group or person. It could be anyone.”

He said the masjid is the only Islamic organization that is part of NBLAC. Bilal has seen the scorn people infected with HIV and AIDS face. Families have lived with embarrassment and those afflicted have been ostracized.

The masjid has taken an active role in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Bilal said in the two years since Masjid Al-Alham Buliah has joined NBLAC, they have tested 200 people for the virus.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

Word

One of several National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS events that have taken place this year.

“The moral sense reappears today with the same morning newness that has been from of old the fountain of beauty and strength. You say there is no religion now. ‘Tis like saying in rainy weather, There is no sun, when at that moment we are witnessing one of its superlative effects.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Notebook Scholarship Recipient

Busy Senior Named ‘Mr. Humanities’

Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

BY BOB HARRIS John C. Boyce, a resident of Queens Village and a senior a the Humanities and the Arts HS in the Campus Magnet Complex, Cambria Heights, has been labeled “Mr. Humanities” by College Advisor and Summit Program Advisor Miranda Smalls.

His many school activities, awards and the seven scholarships confirm that designation.

Boyce has received awards for Performing Arts, Instrumental Music, Perfect Attendance, Science and Human service. He has performed service for the Senior Advisor, COSA, College Advisor, participated in the Youth Summit Events such as their Toy Drive organized by the United Black Men of Queens, Inc., was a Peer Leader for the College Summit which motivates students to achieve goals and attend college, mentored freshmen and sophomores, is a Senior Class Vice President, was on the Yearbook Committee, performed in the school’s theatrical performances, named one of two Peer Leaders of the Year in a competitive competition of hundreds of students in Summit groups nationwide, President of the Beta Club which does

community service and is a member of the School Leadership Team (SLT).

The Summit organization helps high schools create a “college is possible culture” in them. As a Peer Leader of the Year, Boyce received a laptop, $250 cash and a $10,000 Scholarship from College Summit, United Negro Fund and the Darden Corporation.

He plans to attend Lincoln University, study Psychology and become a Social Worker, while pursuing his passion for Acting.

Principal Rosemarie O’Mard said, “He truly is the embodiment of a ‘Humanities Man.’ He is intelligent, funny and charismatic. He is destined to be successful in any endeavor that he chooses. We will miss him.”

Smalls recommended Boyce by writing, “I have known John for three years and he has been an ideal student. He has maintained a clear sense of purpose and has a goal of attending college to fulfill his dreams.

“Academically, John has the ability to take on multiple tasks simultaneously and produce high quality results. He is a caring, dependable student who takes responsibility for his learning. He always

completes his assignments on time, which is to his credit.”

Assistant Principal of Organization and Guidance Nancy Duchatellier Esposito was the one who recommended John Boyce for the Peer Leader of the Year Award. She spoke of “his determination to succeed despite many obstacles, which has been an inspiration to his fellow students and to the staff.” She went on to say that last year she was especially impressed when the school was invited to an impromptu High School Fair and John immediately took the leadership, organizing the presentation boards and enlisting students to participate.

Esposito also said that “He initiated a program to improve attendance in our school by organizing teams of students to become phone buddies with late students, by calling them in the morning to encourage them to come and stay in school.

The program was a success. He is creative, highly motivated, a team player, an asset to our school with a witty personality.”

John C. Boyce

Is Your School Doing Something Good?

Write The PRESS of Southeast Queens 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357

Profile

Teeing Off For Scholarship Funds

BY SASHA AUSTRIE The traffic on one side of the Clearview Golf Course is boisterous. The sound travels to the greens, but the players are focused. They zero in on their putts and drives. This is a sanctuary for them.

On Wednesday, the men of the MidIsland Golf Club came together for the

annual Dr. Fred Richards 50th Annual Memorial Tournament. For the past six years, these men from across the borough and Long Island have gathered to play a gentleman’s game.

“You are away from reality for five hours,” said Terry Jackson, Mid-Island Golf Club treasurer. “It’s a great outlet.”

Their goal was to raise at least $3,000 to award three $1,000 scholarships to

The members of the Mid-Island Golf Club.

either deserving students already enrolled in college or graduating high school seniors. The money will be awarded Nov. 12, at the club’s 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance.

“All the proceeds from this day go to the kids,” Jackson said.

Their crisp white shirts stood out brightly on the background of a bright spring day. They dillydallied and socialized, catching up on the mundane aspects of each other’s lives. It was not always like this.

This ritual started 50 years ago, when members were not readily accepted on many golf courses. They pushed past the color barrier.

Dr. Herb Gaton joined the club 45 years ago. While the Civil Rights movement blossomed with marches and riots, these men took to the green and teed off.

“We played all the courses in Long Island,” he said. “We integrated a few.”

The Hempstead Country Club and the Doral Gold Course in Miami are two that the Mid-Island Golf Club integrated.

The Mid-Island Golf Club was established by Richards and the Napkin Boys, a name which grew from the fact that they wrote their scores on napkins. It began with seven men in 1961 and in 2011, the organization has 38 members with six life members.

Michael Taylor, the club’s president, said the members were part of the upper echelon of black society.

“Under Dr. Fred Richards, they were able to break the barrier,” Taylor said. “We are very proud that the visionaries of the past were able to establish this and shatter that glass ceiling.”

Another member, Al Green, instituted the scholarship fund about 20 years ago and the organization has given out about 60 scholarships totaling about $60,000.

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at saustrie@queenspress.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 123.

Got a Profile?

Send a photo with background and contact information to: PRESS of Southeast Queens 150-50 14th Rd. Whitestone, NY 11357 All announcements will be considered for publication without fee.

People Air Force Airman Alex G. Benjamin graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Com-

Telfer of Jamaica received a Master of Public Administration degree.

Army Pfc. Julien S. LePlatte has graduated from Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons, rifle marksmanship qualification, bayonet combat, chemical warfare, field training and tactical exercises, marches, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, traditions, and core values.

He is the son of AnnMarie J. Butler of St. Albans. The private is a 2008 graduate of Queens High School of Teaching, Bellerose.

Army National Guard Pvt. Kevin Artry 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.

Artry earned distinction as an honor graduate.

He is the brother of Denise Kelly of Rosedale, and Lepert Kelly of Jamaica.

The following residents graduated from Marist College the weekend of May 21: Joanna Flores of Woodhaven received a Master of Public Administration degree; Patrick Gaines of Kew Gardens received a Master of Public Administration degree; Georgianna Herbin of Jamaica received a Master of Public Administration degree; Luddy Quintero of Douglaston received a Master of Public Administration degree; Nicolette Rabadi of Astoria received a Master of Public Administration degree; Keith Ross of Glen Oaks received a Master of Public Administration degree; and Michael

Air Force Airman Deandra M. Simmons graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

She is the daughter of Jewelri Donovan of Orlando, Fla., and grand-

Deandra M. Simmons daughter of Adlene Donovan of Arverne.

Simmons graduated in 2004 from Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn.

Tell The PRESS

Send notices of graduation, awards, anniversaries, engagements and honors to: PRESS of Southeast Queens 150-50 14th Rd., Whittestone, NY 111357 All announcements will be considered for publication without fee.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17

Alex G. Benjamin

munity College of the Air Force.

He is the son of Berisford and Unice Benjamin of St. Albans. Benjamin graduated in 2007 from Jamaica High School, Queens.

Queens Today SECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcements for your club or organization’s events at least TWO weeks in advance to “Queens Today” Editor, Queens Tribune, 174-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365. Send faxes to 357-9417, c/o Regina.

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

Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

MISCELLANEOUS DOG/CAT VACCINE Through July 30 Petland Discount locations offer low cost dog and cat vaccinations. Contact your local store.

HOUSING EXPO Saturday, June 11 9-4 at Queens College Student Union Ballroom. 298-6505.

GOLF CLASSIC June 20 23 rd Annual American Heart Association Golf Classic. 516-450-9129.

EXHIBIT June 22 unique program of local artists at the Kew Gardens Communit y Center, 8002 Kew Gardens Road 11-7.

WALK & RUN September 25 Long Island Heart Walk and 5K Run. 516450-9126.

ORATORIO SOCIETY Mondays through April the Oratorio Society of Queens rehearses at the North Presbyterian Church. 279-3006.

COMMUNITY SINGERS Mondays through May the Communit y Singers of Queens, Inc. rehearses at Messiah Lutheran Church, 42-15 165 th Street, Flushing.

New members welcome.

658-1021.

AUXILIARY OFF. The 105 th Precinct Community Council invites all interested in becoming an Auxiliary Police Officer to contact 776-9268.

BARBERSHOP Wednesdays the Qu ee n s chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Societ y meets at the school hall, 175-20 74 th Avenue, Flushing. 381-8689.

FOOD PANTRY Fridays Grace Episcopal Church, 14-15 Clintonville Street, Whitestone, from 1011. 767-6305.

FH VAC The Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps needs volunteers. They will sponsor you for a NYS EMT course at no cost to you once you qualif y. 793-2055. Monetary donations also needed PO Box 750617, FH 11375.

FH SYMPHONY Wednesdays the Forest Hills Symphony Orchestra will rehearse at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 374-1627.

FREE FLAGS The Lipsky-Blum Post #764 of the Jewish War Veterans offers free flags to all families of deceased veterans for use at cemeteries. 4634742.

YOUTH

TEENS REGENTS REVIEW In June Maspeth Town Hall offers Regents Review Classes. $80. 335-6049.

CHESS CLUB Saturdays at the Flushing library at 2.

OPEN MIC Sunday, June 12 at the Central library at 2.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT Monday, June 13 at the South Jamaica library at 6.

CHAMP PROGRAM Mondays, June 13, 20 at the L a n g s to n H u g h e s l i b r a r y.

Register.

KNIT & CROCHET Mondays at the Douglaston/ Little Neck library at 4.

TEEN TUESDAYS Tuesday, June 14 at 4:30 at the Hillcrest library.

KNIT & CROCHET Wednesdays, June 15, 29 at 1 at the South Ozone Park library.

TEEN MANNERS Wednesday, June 15 at the Steinway library at 3:30.

CHESS Wednesdays at 3:30 at the Queens Village library.

TEEN WRAP AROUNDS Thursdays, June 16, 30 at the Lefrak Cit y library at 4.

HAPPY HOUR Fridays, June 17, 24 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 t h 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.

SINGLES SINGLES SOCIAL & DANCE Sundays, June 12 singles social and dance from 2-6. $10.

Over 45. Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., Rego Park. 459-1000.

SENIOR SINGLES Tu e s d ay, J u n e 2 1 S e n i o r Singles is taking a trip to Temple Emanuel in NY. 3439029.

TALKS JEWISH WOMEN Monday, June 13 National Council of Jewish Women, Lakeville Section, will hold their Current Events Group at 1:30. 347-0742.

HILLCREST BOOK Tuesday, June 14 “Elizabeth Street” will be discussed at 2 at the Hillcrest library.

GENEAOLOGY Wednesday, June 15 at the Bayside Historical Societ y.

352-1548 to register.

FLUSHING Friday, July 1 “The Story Sisters.” Friday, August 5 “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” 1 at the Flushing library.

THEATER ANNIE AUDITIONS Tuesday and Thursday, June 14, 16 at 7:30 Theatre by the Bay will hold auditions for “Annie Get Your Gun.” 428-6363.

AUDITIONS Thursday, June 23 the Bayswater Players will audition for “Rumors” at 7. 4717771.

KILLING KOMPANY Friday, September 23 “The Re a l i t y T V M u rd e r s ” a t Riccardo’s in Astoria. The Killing Company performs mystery dinner shows. 1888-SHOOT-EM for information.

QUEENS LIBRARIES Many branches of the Queensborough Library offer toddler and pre-school programs. Contact your local branch for dates.

SCULPTURE PARK Saturdays through September 24 the Socrates Sculpture Park will hold drop-in workshops for families.

MATH HELP Saturdays at the Flushing library at 10.

CHESS CLUB Saturdays at the Flushing library at 2.

S TORY TIMES Saturdays at 11 and Tuesdays at 10:30 weekly story times at Barnes & Noble, 1766 0 Un i o n Tu r n p i ke , F re s h 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.

BALLOON ANIMALS Monday, June 13 at 4 at the Richmond Hill library.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT Monday, June 13 at the South Jamaica library at 6.

MAGIC SHOW Monday, June 13 at the Steinway library at 3:30.

BALLOON ANIMALS Tuesday, June 14 at 3:30 at the Glendale library.

GAMING FUN Wednesdays, June 15, 22, 29 and Thursdays, June 16, 23, 30 at 3:30 at the Lefrak Cit y library.

CHESS Wednesdays at the Queens Village library at 3:30.

MAGIC SHOW Wednesday, June 15 at the Bay Terrace library at 3:30.

MAGIC SHOW Wednesday, June 15 at the East Flushing library at 4.

T WILIGHT TALES Thursdays, June 16, 23, 30 at t he Douglaston libra r y.

Register.

MAGIC SHOW Thursday, June 16 at 4 at the Jackson Heights library.

BALLOON ANIMALS Thursday, June 16 at 4 at the Kew Gardens Hills library.

CHESS CLUB Fridays at the Poppenhusen library at 3:30.

YU-GI-OH Fridays, June 17, 24 at the Queensboro library at 4.

FATHER’S DAY CRAFT Friday, June 17 at the Douglaston library. Register.

PRESCHOOL CRAFT Friday, June 17 at the Sunnyside library. Register.

BALLOON ANIMALS Friday, June 17 at the Briarwood librar y. Register.

MAGIC SHOW Friday, June 17 at the L a n g s to n H u g h e s l i b r a r y.

Register.

GO GREEN Friday, June 24 at the Jackson Heights library at 4.

GAME DAY Fridays at 3:30 at the Queens Village library.

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. 454-

2391.

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.

SENIORS AARP CHORUS Like to sing? The AARP Queens Chorus holds practice rehearsals for performances at nursing homes, rehab and senior centers.

523-1330.

ELDER LAW Saturdays, June 11, 18 2:304:00 at Flushing House. 347532-3025 to register.

AARP 4158 Tu e s d ay, J u n e 1 4 N o r t h Flushing AARP meets at noon at Church on the Hill, 167-07 35 th Avenue, Flushing.

AARP DEFENSIVE Tu e s d ay, J u n e 1 4 a t th e Auburndale library. 352-2027 to register.

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 ex-

PARENTS REGENTS REVIEW In June Maspeth Town Hall offers Regents Review Classes. $80. 335-6049.

ADHD OR PDD Daily after school programs to meet the needs of elementary school aged children who have learning disabilities and ADHD or PDD at the Bay Terrace Center, 212-00 23 rd Avenue, Bayside from 2:30-6:00. 225-6750, ext.

266.

ANIBIC Association for Neurologically Impaired Brain Injured Children, Inc. sponsors programs including Saturday Play Group (5-17), Tutorial (5 to adult), Weekend Respite (17+), Young Adult Program (17+) and Adult Respite Program (21+). 423-9550, ext.

243.

KIDS KORNER After School Center is at the Central Queens YM-YWHA in Forest Hills. 268-5011, ext. 201. Extended hours.

PLAYGROUP The CUMC Playgroup is accepting registration for its preschool parents’ cooperative program in Middle Village. Children 18 months to 4 years are eligible. 8942293.

TOUGH LOVE Tu e s d a y s at 7:30 p.m.

Toughlove International Parent Support Group for parents of out-of-control children (teens, pre-teens and adult children) meet at IS158 in Bayside. 393-7788.

ercise 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.

STARS Wednesdays, June 15, 22, 29 at 10:30 at the Hollis library. Senior Theater Acting Repertory meets.

ELDER LAW Thursday, June 16 at 6:30 at the Bay Terrace librar y.

“Elder Law, Estate Planning, Trusts & Asset Protection.”

FREE LUNCH Saturday, June 18 a t A l l Saints Church in Richmond Hill. 849-2352 reservations.

SENIOR SINGLES Tu e s d ay, J u n e 2 1 S e n i o r Singles is taking a trip to Temple Emanuel in NY. 3439029.

FREE LUNCH Saturday, June 25 at Church of the Resurrection in Kew Gardens. 847-2649 reservations.

RELIGIOUS OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, June 15 6-8 at the Reform Temple of Forest Hills, 71-11 112 th Street.

BUKHARIAN MUSIC Tuesday, June 21 at 1:30 at the Central Queens YMYWHA, 67-09 108 th Street, Forest Hills. $6 donation.

HISTORY OF ZIONISM June 23 at Temple Tikvah, 3315 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park. $10 non-members.. 8pm.

FLEA MARKETS SWAP & SHOP Saturday, June 18 at the LIC library. 752-3700.

FLEA MARKET Saturday, June 18 9-4 at B ow n e Str e e t C o m m u n i t y Church, Bowne and Roosevelt Avenue.

RUMMAGE SALE Saturday, June 18 9:30-4:00 at Redeemer Lutheran, 4601 Bell Blvd., Bayside.

FLEA MARKET Saturday, June 25 at Flushing House, 38-20 Bowne Street 10-4.

THRIFT SHOPS Saturdays 11-4 at Bargain Boutique Thrift Shop, Queens Baptist Church, 9323 217 th Street, Queens Village.465-2504.

Queens Today MEETINGS ment Support group at Holy Family Fresh Meadows at 7:30. 969-2448.

FH VAC Wednesdays, June 22, July 27 Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corp meets.

793-2055.

JEWISH VETS Sunday, June 26 Jewish War Veterans of the USA Lipsky/ Blum Post meet at the Garden Jewish Center. 4634742.

ST. ALBANS CIVIC Sunday, June 26 St. Albans Civic Improvement Association meets at 1:30 at St. Albans Lutheran Church, 200 th Street and 119 th Avenue in the undercroft. 2764263.

JEWISH WOMEN Monday, June 27 National Council of Jewish Women, Lakeville Section, meets at the Recreation Center in New Hyde Park’s Clinton Park at noon.

ENTERTAINMENT STRAWBERRY FAIR Saturday, June 11 11-6 at All Saints Church, 43-12 46 Street, Sunnyside.

SYMPHONY CONCERT Sunday, June 12 at 2 at the FH Jewish Center. $5.

OPEN MIC Sunday, June 12 at the Central library at 2.

MOVING IMAGE Museum of the Moving Image, 35 th Avenue and 37 th Street, Astoria. $10 adults.

777-6888.

OPEN MIC Mondays, June 13, July 11 Open Mic Poetry Night at 7:30 at Barnes & Noble, 1766 0 Un i o n Tu r n p i ke , Fre s h Meadows.

FILM Monday, June 13 “Helena from the Wedding” shown at 2 at the Fresh Meadows library.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT Monday, June 13 at the South Jamaica library at 6.

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 4 5 8 2 . Tu e s d ay s at 7:15 (doors open 6) at the Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd. 459-1000.$3 admission includes 12 games.

KICK OFF PARTY Wednesday, June 15 Queens Art Express Kick Off part y 6:30-8:30 at the Kaufman Studios.

LIVE JAZZ Fridays through December 13 at 180-25 Linden Blvd.., St. Albans. 347-262-1169 ticket information.

SOAP BOX DERBY Saturday, June 18 in East Elmhurst. 468-5144.

HOT JAZZ Saturday, June 18 the Bria Akonberg Quartet at 2 at the Louis Armstrong Garden. $10. 478-8274.

APOLLO Saturday, June 18 From Havana to Harlem at Queens Theater in the Park. 7600064.

ASTRONOMY NIGHT Saturday, June 18 Evening with the Stars from 8-10 at Alley Pond Environmental Center. 229-4000. $10 adults.

ASTORIA HISTORICAL Saturday, June 18 History Round Table with the events of the Civil War in 1861 at 1. $5. Greater Astoria Historical Societ y, 35-20 Broadway, 4 th floor. 278-0700.

JAMAICA BAY CRUISE

Saturday, June 18 Jamaica Bay Cruise 4-7 from Brooklyn. 318-9344.

SPRING CONCERT Sunday, June 19 Children’s Orchestra Societ y presents t h e i r 4 2 nd A n n u a l S p r i n g Concert at 5 at Queensborough Community College. 516-869-9696.

STAMP SHOW Sunday, June 26 Bayside Stamp Show at the Ramada Inn in Bayside. 10-4:30.

Free.

CONCERT Sunday, June 26 concert on the lawn in Fort Totten Park at 6.

DANCE ODYSSEY Monday, June 27 at the Flushing library at 6:40.

WORLD MAKER FAIRE September 17-18 family fun festival to make, create, learn, invent and more by celebrating arts, crafts, engineering, food, music, science and technology. Hall of Science.

DANCE COUNTRY WESTERN Saturday, June 18 White Lightening performs at the Fathers Day Dance. $12.

Glendale Memorial Building, 72-02 Myrtle Avenue at 7:30.

763-4328.

ISRAELI FOLK Mondays 7:15-9:45 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.

ENVIRONMENT SPRING BIRD WALKS Sunday, June 19 with Alley Pond Environmental Center. $5 members, $7 others. 2294000.

DINNER LICBDC REAL ESTATE Wednesday, June 15 breakfast in LIC. 786-5300, ext. 21.

JEWISH WOMEN Tuesday, June 21 luncheon by the NY section of the National Council of Jewish Women. 1-800-829-NCJW. CENTENNIAL 2011 September 24 Queens Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the Centennial at Terrace on the Park.

WOODBLOCK PRINTING Easy method in full color at the National Art League.

969-1128.

JH ART CLUB Classes in all art forms days and evenings for children and adults. 454-0813.

RESUME WRITING Saturday, June 11 at the LIC library at 10:30.

DEFENSIVE DRIVING Saturday, June 11 at Our Lady of Fatima. 631-3609720.

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.

BALLROOM DANCE Mondays, June 13, 20, 27 ballroom dancing at 6:30 at the Forest Hills library.

WORLD ED SERVICES Monday, June 13 interactive workshop in collaboration with WES at 6 at the Jackson Heights library.

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.

LINE DANCE Mondays beginner to intermediate lessons 6-9 in Bayside. 917-886-0519.

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.

SCRABBLE CLUB Tuesdays at the East Flushing library at 3:30.

POWERPOINT Tu e s d ay, J u n e 1 4 a t th e McGoldrick library. Register.

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.

TANGO CLASS Wednesdays, June 15, 22, 29 at Buenos Aires Tango in Forest Hills. 347-642-4705.

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.

OIL PAINTING CLASS Wednesdays 6-8 adult classes, all levels. Grace Lutheran Church in Forest Hills. 472-4055.

WATERCOLOR CL ASS Wednesdays at 9:30 at NAL. Traditional and contemporary, all levels. 969-1128.

CHINESE LANGUAGE Wednesdays, June 15, 22, 29 at the Laurelton librar y.

Register.

KNIT & CROCHET Wednesday, June 15 at 1 at the South Ozone Park library.

QUILTING CLASSES Thursdays 10-2 at the Maria Rose Doll Museum in St. Albans. 276-3454 or 917817-8653 to register.

QUILTERS Thursdays at the East Elmhurst library at 12:30.

CHESS CLUB Thursdays at the East Flushing library. Register.

COMPUTER CLASS Thursdays at the Queensboro Hill library. Register.

INTRO COMPUTERS Thursday, June 16 at the Pomonok library. Register.

KNIT & CROCHET Thursdays at the Fresh

Meadows library at 6.

BALLROOM DANCING Thursdays, June 16, 23, 30 at the Woodside library at 6:30.

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.

JOB INFO Friday, June 17 at 3 at the Central library.

PUBLIC SPEAKING Saturday, June 18 learn to communicate effectively at Elmhurst Hospital. 646-4367940.

CAREER POTENTIAL Monday, June 20 and Thursday, June 23 discover your career potential at the Central library.

POETRY WRITING Tuesdays, June 21, July 19 budding poets are invited to a constructive feedback in a personalized setting at 7:30 at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows.

HEALTH YOGA CLASSES Saturdays 10-11 and Sundays 9:30-10:30 workshops on Yoga. Other classes include meditation, Ayurvedic, yoga philosophy, Sanskirt language. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Jackson Heights. 646-912-1885.

YOGA IN THE PARK Saturdays through September 24 at Socrates Sculpture Park. 956-1819.

CAPOEIRA IN THE PARK Saturdays through September at Socrates Sculpture Park. 956-1819.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS 7 days a week. 962-6244.

Flushing.

BLOOD DRIVE Sunday, June 12 9-2 at Queen of Angels Church in the Parish Center, 43-18 Skillman Avenue, Sunnyside. 646-541-6526.

PILATES IN THE PARK Sundays through September 25 at Socrates Sculpture Park. 956-1819.

TAI CHI IN THE PARK Sundays through September 25 at Socrates Sculpture Park.956-1819.

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 710pm 347-2156 information.

NICOTINE ANONYMOUS Mondays 6:45-8:00 at the Center for Tobacco Control, 2 2 5 C o m m u n i t y D r i ve , Great Neck. 516-510-7826.

TAI CHI Mondays and Thursdays at 11 at the Cardiac Health Center in Fresh Meadows.

670-1695. $5 a class.

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.

ALZHEIMERS Tuesdays, June 14, 28, July 12, 26 Caregiver Support Group in Forest Hills. 5925757, ext. 237.

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.

HEARING LOSS Wednesday, June 15 Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Seminar at 1:30 at the Douglaston/Little Neck library.

YOGA Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 at the Cardiac Health Center in Fresh Meadows. 6701695. $10 class.

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.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 19

BELLA ITALIA MIA Sunday, June 12 at Christ the King HS. 426-1240.

CATHOLIC VETS Mondays, June 13, July 11 American Mart yrs Catholic Wa r Ve t e r a n s Po s t 1 7 7 2 meets in Bayside. 468-9351.

AMERICAN LEGION Monday, June 13 American Legion Post 510 meets at St. Robert Bellamine in Bayside Hills. 428-2895.

VFW 4787 Mondays, June 13, 27, July 11, 25 Whitestone VFW Communit y Post meets. 7460540.

TELE. PIONEERS Tu e s d a y, J u n e 1 4 Te l e phone Pioneer of America meet in College Point. 4634535.

COMM. BD. 9 Tu e s d ay, J u n e 1 4 a t th e Majestic Marquee, 88-03 101 st Avenue, Ozone Park.

286-2686.

MEN’S CLUB SOCCER Tuesday evenings at the Forest Hills Jewish Center. 2637000.

FRESH MEADOW CAMERA Tuesdays the Fresh Meadows Camera Club meets.

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.

BIRD CLUB Wednesday, June 15 Queens Count y Bird Club meets at 8 at APEC. 2294000.

KNIGHTS Wednesday, June 15 Queensview Lodge 433 of the Knights of Pythias meets in Whitestone. 917-7543093.

FLUSHING CAMERA Wednesdays, June 15, 29, July 6, 20 Flushing Camera Club meets at Flushing Hospital. 479-0643.

TOASTMASTERS Wednesdays, June 15, July 6, 20 learn the art of public speaking at t he Voices of Rochdale in Jamaica. 9780732.

MEN’S GROUP Thursday, June 16 Queens Pride House Men’s Group meets 7-9 to discuss issues that affect them as gay, bi, trans men.

COMM. BD 6 Thursday, June 16 at 80-02 Kew Gardens Road at 7:45.

QUEENS CENTRAL ROTARY Thursdays 6:30-8:30 Come learn if Rotary is for you.

465-2914.

WOMAN’S GROUP Fridays the Woman’s Group of Jamaica Estates meets at noon. Call 461-3193 for information.

TOASTMASTERS Monday, June 20 True Potential Toastmasters meet at 7:10. 646-269-1577.

AMERICAN LEGION 131 Tuesday, June 21 the American Legion, Post 131, meets at 8 at 10-20 Clintonville Street, Whitestone. 7674323.

BEREAVEMENT Tuesday, June 21 Bereave-

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 21

Models Of Queens Olivia Mignone Home: Bayside Age: 20 Height: 5' 1" Weight: 100 lbs Stats: 34-24-34

When she was just a freshman in High School, Olivia Mignone had known for years that she wanted to be a model. She practiced her strut, took good care of herself and was ready for the runway.

Except she was too short.

“It was just something I’ve always been interested in,” Olivia said. “I was always obsessed with fashion magazines, TV shows and fashion shows.”

As a petite model, she started participating in charity fashion shows for about a year before she “found out that I was going to be 5-foot-1 or 5-foot-2 at the most,” she said.

It was then that Olivia founded Shortstack Models, a company and self-esteem organization that helps girls who want to take a stab at the modeling industry –and who are no taller than 5-foot-6.

“I kinda thought it was a stupid idea at first, but then it clicked,” she said Since then, there have been about 23 girls in the program each year, and Olivia has been thrilled to see the changes the program has had on its members.

“It didn’t start as a self-esteem program, but when you get a group of young girls together it just turned into that,” she said.

Olivia has worked with a wide range of photographers and small clothing companies, and is still learning – at the same time her fellow Shortstack girls are.

After graduating from Cardozo High School, Olivia has taken time off to focus on Shortstack, her modeling and her future – perhaps in the management side of modeling. She plans to attend St. John’s University.

When not busy with the company or as a model, Olivia enjoys hanging out with friends on Bell Boulevard or at Bay Terrace, and also climbing trees.

“I’m actually a huge tomboy,” she admitted. “I’m not the type to go get my nails or hair done. I just do what I want to do.’

To learn more about Shortstack and their upcoming fashion show benefit, go to wooshortstack.org.

Queensbridge To Unite No, we aren’t talking about the Queensboro Bridge or the Ed Koch Bridge. We are talking about three of the best rappers to ever come out of Queens, the duo known as Mobb Deep and solo artist Nas. After Mobb Deep co-founder Prodigy was released from prison a little over two months ago, he and Havoc will be back at it and ready to release one of the most anticipated albums of all time with one of the greatest lyricists.

Nas, who is known for his feud with Jay-Z and songs such as “Illmatic,” will team up once again with Mobb Deep; the rappers cut a few tracks together in 2007, and joined forces in recent weeks to record the single “Dog S**t.” And it seems they’re not done Prodigy and Havoc of Mobb Deep will join fellow yet.

Queensbridge native Nas on a new album.

At a press conference last Monday for the Rock Confidentially, New the Bells music festival, Havoc told HipHopDx that there will be a joint album in the works.

We just hope for a better title than their last collaboration.

Page 22 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 10-16, 2011

Dig Our Chicks If you’re driving across the Throgs Neck Bridge, you might want to keep your sun roof closed, or you may get some unpleasantness falling on you.

Three Peregrine falcon chicks hatched on top of the Bronx tower of the bridge this spring. The chicks are named Bayside, Edgewater and Locust, after neighborhoods in Queens and The Bronx.

Adult falcons have been nesting on the bridge for over a decade as they continue to grow their population –they had nearly gone extinct in the latter part of the 20th century. The falcons also nest on the Verrazano Narrows and Marine Parkway bridges in Brooklyn.

The Throgs Neck chicks are all boys. It’ll be interesting to see

We think Bayside looks the best. what mischief they’ll get themselves into once they reach their terrible twos, which in Peregrine falcon years, will be sometime in late August.

The Donald and Mama Grizzly have no idea at all how to eat pizza.

You Gotta . . . Fold & Hold Since emerging on the national political scene, Sarah Palin has been a firecracker. She has riled up her base of “real Americans,” leaving the rest of us fakers to languish in our socialism. It seems like she has added another follower to her squad.

Queens’ Donald Trump is waving the Palin flag. With his own presidential candidacy shelved, Trump thinks Palin can be just

what this country needs to move from the gnarled grip of socialism.

With Trump now banging the Palin drum after the two hobnobbed over pizza, the bosom buddies made a giant faux pas.

Palin and the Trumpster ate the doughy delicacy with knives and forks. We have news for you Palin, real New Yorkers fold their slices and chow down. Trump – c’mon… you should know better.

Wacky Wick Wike pronunciation of it; “Van Wike” is

If you’re like us, and commute from one side of Queens to the other, then the Van Wyck Expressway is probably the bane of your existence – especially this past month as the highway south of the Kew Gardens interchange resembled a dirt road in the Rocky Mountains as it was being repaved.

But are you pronouncing the name right? The New York Times recently explored the commonly misstated name. Traffic reporters, recently kept busy with Van Wyck traffic, often pronounce it “Van Wick,” but the highway, named after Robert Van Wyck, the mayor of New York City when all five boroughs were consolidated in 1898, is actually pronounced “Van Wike.” “Van Wick” is the English

the original Dutch version.

The Dutch Consulate in the meantime tells the Times that the actual pronunciation is “Fon Weig,” but we don’t see that happening.

The discrepancy is causing a local debate of Obamacare-proportions.

“Van Wyck Expressway runs thru my district. Anyone pronouncing it Van Wike is with the terrorists; it’s Van Wick,” tweeted Assemblyman Rory Lancman last week.

Yet another reason not to name things after former mayors.

Men Are Back

York . . .

If you’re looking to get that great price on sirloin steak in Richmond Hill that you heard about it, forget it. It wasn’t real.

That store on Jamaica Avenue selling those dramatically lowpriced food wasn’t real, it was just a prop for the upcoming “Men In Black” sequel, “Men in Black III.” The movie, which takes place in the 1960s, had some scenes shot last week in South Queens and producers erected fake storefronts on Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, including one of a market that as selling sirloin steak at 89 cents a pound.

The shoot didn’t force any traffic changes, through some on Jamaica Avenue slowed down to take a picture of the set designs, perhaps so they can be forever reminded of the good old days.

What’s Up SATURDAY, JUNE 11 Youth & Tennis The Youth and Tennis group meets every Saturday morning at Roy Wilkins Park Saturday. To learn more, call Bill Briggs at (718) 658-6728.

Walkers for Wellness Club Looking for a fun way to improve your health? Join the Walkers for Wellness Club at New Hope Lutheran Church of Jamaica. Under the guidance of a Walking Leader, you will walk two to three times each week at a comfortable pace with others along routes throughout Southeast Queens. The club is open to walkers of all ages and abilities. The walking schedule is Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 8 a.m. Walkers meet at New Hope Lutheran Church, located at 167-24 118th Ave. T-shirts and pedometers will be provided. Contact Thurkessa Brown at (917) 553-1089 for more information.

Rights of Passage Ceremony Project H.Y.P.E. is pleased to present its 4th Annual Rights of Passage Ceremony. Come out as a community, show your support and celebrate our boys embarking on their first steps into manhood.

For more information, you may call the main office of P.S./M.S. 147Q at (718) 528-2420. The ceremony will start at 9 a.m. with the traditional walk through the community. The walk will begin on the corner of 230th Street and 116th Avenue.

This free event will take place at P.S./ M.S. 147Q (Dr. Ronald McNair Elementary School), 218-01 116th Ave. at 10 a.m.

When: Saturday, June 11th - 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm This event will take place at Black Spectrum Theatre - 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard – from 1-3 p.m. Admission is $45.

Forgotten Borough Author Nicole Steinberg on her new book, “Forgotten Borough: Writers Come to Terms with Queens.”

This free event will take place at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. at 2 p.m.

Talking About History Lecture Join Dr. Timothy Milford as he leads a discussion entitled: “Rufus King & New York’s Patrons of Latin American Revolution”.

This free event will take place at King Manor Museum - Rufus King Park (153 Street at Jamaica Avenue) – at 5 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 Open Mic for Poets Roger Sedarat is an award-winning author of several poetry collections. His poems and literary translations have appeared in such journals as “New England Review,” “World Literature Today,” “Zoland Poetry,” “Green Mountains Review,” and “Drunken Boat.” He has received four scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference as well as a grant from the St. Botolph Society. He teaches poetry and translation in the MFA program at Queens College.

This free event will take place at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. at 2 p.m.

7:30 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Family Life Center, 177-01 Baisley Blvd.

Walkers for Wellness Club See Saturday’s listing. At 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 York Observatory Open Night The York College Observatory is open to the public every second or third Wednesday of the month - rain or shine - at 8:30 p.m.

Gather in room 2E01 and then proceed to the fourth floor terrace off G corridor if it’s clear. For additional information, contact Tim Paglione at paglione@york.cuny.edu or (718) 262-2082.

This free event will be held at the York College Academic Core Building (AC 2E01), 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. from 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Protect Your Ideas NYC Business Solutions is pleased to present “Protect Your Ideas Seminar.”

Do you have business ideas, inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, or designs, Web sites, domain names used for your business? Attend this workshop and receive expert legal advice on the process and paperwork involved to protect your intellectual property. For additional information, or to RSVP, call Antonio Tseng at (718) 5772166 or atseng@nycbusinesssolutions.com.

When: Wednesday, June 15 - 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm This free event will take place at NYC Solution Center, - 168-25 Jamaica Ave., from 3-4 p.m.

CHDC Business Symposium My Family Portrait Come enjoy a free program for families.

Learn about portraits, paintings, and family trees. Families will learn about the portraits of the King family. Enjoy story time and a silhouette craft at this free drop in program.

This free event will take place at King Manor Museum – Rufus King Park (153 Street at Jamaica Avenue) – from noon to 3 p.m.

Reptiles On The Move

Melvin Van Peebles The Black Spectrum Theatre is pleased to present the legendary Melvin Van Peebles - film icon, and the godfather of independent Black cinema. Don’t miss this special film workshop for up and coming filmmakers. Come learn how Hollywood deals are made, how to negotiate your next movie project, and to discuss the future of Black cinema. For additional information, call (718) 723-1800.

Practice your chess skills weekly, on Monday and Thursday evenings.

The event is held at 6 p.m. every Monday at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217 St., (718) 776-6800.

Poetry Workshop MFA graduate Michael Alpiner will lead a 90-minute workshop on poetry writing.

This free event will take place at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. at 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 Job Club Every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Jamaica Neighborhood Center offers a free service to assist people from Southeast Queens with job-readiness skill sets in writing a professional resume and cover letter; interviewing practices and techniques; applying on-line procedures; elevator pitch and Microsoft Suite 2007.

For additional information, contact Lenin Gross, Job Coach, at (718) 739-2060, Ext. 18 or lgrossjnc@yahoo.com.

This free event will be held at the Jamaica Neighborhood Center - 161-06 89th Ave.

The Cambria Heights Development Corporation is pleased to present a CHDC Business Symposium: Strategies to Survive, and Thrive During a Tough Economy.

Bring your business cards and 30 second business introduction. Admission is free. There will be a complimentary buffet dinner. To RSVP and for additional information call (917) 501-6780 or send an email to chdcqueens@gmail.com.

This free event will take place at Thomasina’s Catering Hall, 205-35 Linden Blvd., from 6:30-9 p.m.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 Walkers for Wellness Club See Saturday’s listing. At 7 p.m.

Union Hall Street Thursdays Come one come all, to the greatest block party of them all. Applebee’s, the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, Councilman Leroy Comrie, Jamaica First Parking, and the Downtown Jamaica Open Space Coalition are pleased to present Union Hall Street Thursdays.

Come on out for an evening of food, drink, music and dance.

This free event will take place at Union Hall Street (between Jamaica and Archer Avenues) at 6 p.m.

Camera Club

Scholarship Dinner

The Southeast Queens Camera Club welcomes photographers, beginners to advanced. Meetings are held the second, third and fourth Tuesday every month at

The Presidents Council of District 29 is pleased to present its 6th Annual Scholarship Dinner. For additional information, call (718) 528-9053, Ext. 5

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 Senior Theatre Acting Repertory Calling all older adults: Join our galaxy of STARs to perform theatrical works at the library with a great group of people while brightening your life.

Rehearsals are held at 10:30 a.m. Fridays at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217 St., (718) 776-6800.

The group will have a performance at the Bellerose Library, 250-06 Hillside Ave., at 2 p.m.

Job Info Center Orientation What is the Job Information Center and what does it do? Find out at an interactive orientation about its services: career resources including workshops in English and Spanish; assistance with your job searching; Job Information Center resources of books, newspapers, pathfinders, bookmarks and brochures, resume/ cover letter reviews; Queens Workforce 1 information.

This free event will take place at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd. at 3 p.m.

ONGOING CPR Training The FDNY Mobile CPR Training Unit will hold regularly scheduled free CPR classes in all five boroughs. The first Tuesday through the fourth Tuesday and the fourth Thursday of every month there will be Borough CPR training sessions in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens.

Training is free to anyone over the age of 14. The goal of this program is increase the number of people in New York City trained in bystander CPR Each class lasts 1 hour and participants in the class learn basic CPR skills from a member of the FDNY Emergency Medical Service.

Volunteers for the class follow along using the CPR Anytime Personal Learning Kit, which features an instructional DVD and an inflatable mannequin. All participants are able take home the kit at the end of class and asked to pledge to use the kit to show five of their family members and friends how to perform CPR. This class teaches basic CPR technique and is not a certification course.

In Queens, the classes will be held the fourth Thursday of every month at EMS Station 54, 222-15 Merrick Blvd. In addition, please visit www.nyc.gov/cprtogo for New York Sports Club locations offering free CPR classes starting in January.

Please visit www.fdnyfoundation.org or call (718) 999-2413 for more information.

HIV Awareness Clergy United for Community Empowerment provides intervention and curriculum-based prevention education sessions on HIV/AIDS, to reduce risk behaviors that lead to HIV transmission. Services are located at 89-31 161st St., Jamaica. Call (718) 297-0720 ask about our presentation to adolescents and men/women of color. Services are available Tue.-Thurs., 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

June 10-16, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 23

“O-o-o-o! Ah-a-a-a! E-e-eek! Ugh! Wow!” …is what you’ll hear when Reptiles On The Move comes to visit Idlewild Park. You’ll meet alligators, a giant python snake, lizards, turtles, toads and all sorts of exotic reptiles. Come join us for this exciting, funfilled time of discovery in the wonderful world of amphibians and reptiles. Bring your children and your folding chairs or blankets.

This free event will take place at Idlewild Park Cricket Field - 223rd Street at 149th Avenue – from noon to 1:30 p.m.

MONDAY, JUNE 13 Adult Chess Club

or (908) 230-2525.

This event will take place at Douglaston Manor, 6320 Commonwealth Blvd. Admission is $60.