Southeast Queens Epaper

Volume 12 Issue No. 47 Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

PAGE 22

PRESS Photo by Ira Cohen

WITH THANKS AND A PRAYER The Rev. Dorothy Fentress, who coordinates a soup kitchen for the community, prays with the recipients of her generosity for a new home for the operation, which is in danger of serving its last Thanksgiving meal.

By Veronica Lewin…Page 3

Online at www.QueensPress.com

News Briefs Turkey Drive With Thanksgiving just a few days away, Council Member Leroy Comrie hosted a Turkey Drive Tuesday, Nov. 22. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church located on 173-01 108th Ave. in Jamaica.

“I am glad we can help families celebrate Thanksgiving,” said Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans). “Each time we hold this event we have been able to reach hundreds in the community so they can celebrate the holiday.”

The leader of the church, the Rev. Emmanuel Asamoa-Amoako, said that he was happy with the way the event turned out and added “we are pleased the Councilman is someone who keeps his promises.”

More than 200 turkeys were given out by dozens of volunteers from the church along with police officers from Queens Patrol Borough South. Representatives Kara Hughes and Michelle Stodart from Resorts World Casino were also there to lend a hand. Resorts World also provided a donation to purchase turkeys. The owners of the new Key Food Store Located at Linden and Merrick Blvd., which just reopened for business, provided the turkeys, keeping commerce within the district.

During tough economic times, the event serves as a reminder for what everyone has to be thankful for. “In these hard times we have to look out for each other and events like this show what Queens is really all about,” Comrie said.

Affordable Housing

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

In an effort to preserve New York’s stock of affordable housing and protect more than 2.5 million tenants in New York City and the surrounding counties, Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and the State Senate passed a four-year extension and expansion of rent regulations. The legislation marks the first time in almost 30 years that rent laws have been strengthened to provide greater protections for tenants.

“We were not going to let millions of families face eviction due to the expiration of rent regulations,” Huntley said. “By passing the first expansion of rent laws in over a generation, tenants will finally receive some of the added protections they need to remain in their homes. While I wish we could have done even more to strengthen rent regulations and stabilize New York’s stock of affordable housing,

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our journey to achieve lasting tenant protections is not over – it has just begun.”

In Southeast Queens, which covers much of Huntley’s 10th district, there are more than 15,000 rent-regulated apartments. Passing an expansion of stronger rent laws will provide families a sense of security and stability. It is vitally important that housing in New York City remain available and affordable, especially for seniors, the disabled, and minority communities who have greater income disparity compared to other residents.

Due to the economy, the divide between the rich and the poor is growing wider, and the number of middle class families declining as a result. Keeping units in place and safe from vacancy decontrol will inevitably keep more middle and working class families in Queens and throughout New York City.

Between 1994 and 2010, it is estimated that more than 300,000 units of affordable housing were removed from rent regulation, and more than 1 million more units were in jeopardy of being lost to deregulation if rent regulations were not extended. To stop deregulation and stabilize New York’s stock of affordable housing through long-term safeguards that protect tenants, Huntley pushed for and achieved strengthened rent laws which in part: extend rent regulations for another four years; raise the annual household income threshold for deregulation to $250,000 per year from $200,000; raise the monthly rent threshold for deregulation to $2,500 per month from $2,000; require landlords making major capital improvements to an apartment for more than 10 percent of the monthly rent to get their claims verified by state housing officials before they can pass along costs to tenants; and a four-year extension of the 421-a tax credit for economic development projects where the developer agrees to set aside 20 percent of the units for affordable housing.

Brief Us! Mail your news brief items to: PRESS of Southeast Queens 150-50 14th Rd. Whitestone, NY 11357

Presstime

Vols Hope Meal Is Not Last Supper

BY VERONICA LEWIN

PRESS Photo by Ira Cohen

Dorothy Fentress woke up at 7 a.m.

Monday morning, had a cup of coffee and began cooking turkeys two at a time for this week’s feast. As of Tuesday afternoon, she said she had not slept more than three hours since waking Monday. While most people lose sleep preparing Thanksgiving meals for their families, Fentress has been working overtime to feed her neighbors in Laurelton.

Fentress and the Samaritans Outreach Ministries Inc. hosted their final meal Tuesday at the United Baptist Church of Truth, located on 222-01 Merrick Blvd. in Laurelton. The Thanksgiving Feast included a cornucopia of turkey, ham, chicken and classic holiday side dishes such as stuffing. More than 100 people lined up in the church’s basement to receive two meals to take home. In addition to a heaping plate of food, guests left with toiletries, groceries and gently used clothing and shoes. Several people took the time after receiving their meals to personally thank Fentress for what she has done in the community.

The soup kitchen has been running out of the church’s basement for nearly four

years, but Tuesday’s meal may be the last served by Fentress and her staff. The church’s insurance will no longer cover the soup kitchen’s operation, and Fentress is looking for a new place to call home.

She is hoping to move to a location in Laurelton, Springfield Gardens or Rosedale, where there is a lack of soup kitchens.

After Valerie Bellinger suffered from a stroke, the Laurelton soup kitchen has guaranteed she will eat at least two hearty meals a week. Bellinger said if the soup kitchen cannot find a home, she will just have to suffer. “If anybody needs a soup kitchen, [Fentress] needs it because she does the right thing,” Bellinger said.

For the past 11 years, Fentress and her staff have been preparing free homecooked meals to serve to the community.

Every Tuesday, the organization and church offer those in need with a buffet style menu that rivals soul food restaurants in the area. The soup kitchen is known for offering guests three kinds of meats and sides like macaroni and cheese and collard greens.

“They think it’s a restaurant here, and we treat them like it is,” Fentress said.

Fentress’ soup kitchen is one of many

Volunteers serve a Thanksgiving Feast at the United Baptist Church of Truth in Laurelton Tuesday. in the City struggling to stay in service this holiday season. According to City Harvest, food pantries and soup kitchens in Queens have seen a 29 percent increase in visitors over the past four years. The increased demand has only encouraged Fentress to continue to do what she says is her calling.

“I’m working for the good of the people who are hungry, downtrodden and going through it,” she said.

Fentress has been able to keep cooking with the help of volunteers and donations.

“We have been blessed,” Fentress said.

She is hopeful her organization will find a new place to call home soon.

Tax-exempt donations can be sent to Samaritans Outreach Ministries Inc. at 13015 229th St., Laurelton, NY 11413.

Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

CB 12 Seeks Parity For Homeless Shelters

BY VERONICA LEWIN

the statistics, there are several unlisted shelters in the community that do not report to the City. Reddick said CB 12 does not have a problem with giving the homeless a place to stay, but many of the people utilizing these facilities come from other boroughs.

The district manager said people’s misfortunes have become a profit for some.

Some investors may be attracted to Southeast Queens because of the amount of vacant housing. Owners in the area with vacant facilities decide to sell their property to the City to be used for shelters. “Homelessness has become a money making process for property owners,” Reddick said.

CB 12 wants the City to look for alter-

native housing for shelters outside of Southeast Queens. Reddick urged property owners in CB 12 to stop selling their property to the City when they know it will be used for a shelter.

Reddick said the community will have to step out of its comfort zone and take a stance against the abundance of shelters in the neighborhood. She stressed this is not an example of “Not In My Backyard,” but that she takes pride in her community and thinks the number of shelters should be distributed fairly. “What affects some of us, should affect all of us,” she said.

Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

Boro Vet’s New Battle Is Against ALS

BY RAMIRO FÚNEZ While most soldiers are recognized for their time in battle on Veterans Day, one local veteran has gained attention for his fight against a disease common in the military.

Far Rockaway native Andre Williams, 51, is a prevention advocate of ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, with the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association.

Williams works closely with other former soldiers in the group to spread information about the disease that is twice as likely to affect veterans.

“Instead of going down with the disease, I had to find something to inspire myself,” Williams said. “I was always busy but when I got it I was in a depression for a month but then I realized that I was still

here and I wanted to do something different every day – that’s what I look to do.”

Williams enlisted in the Army in 1980 and was deployed to a field artillery unit in Germany where he tested cannons and tanks. Upon returning home six years later, he worked as a full-time plumbing instructor.

Williams was diagnosed with the disease in 2007 after sensing a pinching feeling in his left arm. After being severely depressed for several months after his diagnosis, he began seeking advice from other veterans with the disease and decided to change his outlook.

“The most valuable thing that got me through it was the desire to see my family for as long as I could,” he said. “I really didn’t want to give up that quickly, so I started taking vacations and living life to the fullest. I’m in a wheelchair but I get out and go.

I don’t want to sit down and be depressed.”

Daryl Cochrane, Manager of Communications and Public Policy of the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association, works closely with Williams to spread messages of hope to other veterans with the disease.

“His passion stood out,” Cochrane said.

“Being given an ALS diagnosis is certainly heart wrenching because there is no cure, but despite those odds he has really been able to not only maintain his life, but also inspire others with his advocacy. He’s been a strong voice for so many people with ALS who get depressed and may not get to see any hope.”

For more information on Williams or the ALS Association, visit als.org Reach Intern Ramiro Fúnez at interns@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 124.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

For years, Southeast Queens has been a host for the City’s outcasts, and Community Board 12 says enough is enough.

In addition to homeless shelters, Southeast Queens has become a dumping ground for alcohol and substance abuse centers, food programs and drop-in centers that serve people from all over the city, a share disproportionate to the needs of the neighborhood.

According to the Dept. of City Planning, 32 percent of the borough’s 237 centers are in Community Board 12, which includes Jamaica, Hollis, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Baisley Park, Rochdale Village and South Jamaica. Community Board 13, which includes Queens Village, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park, Bellerose, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Rosedale, Floral Park and Brookville host 9 percent of the borough’s shelters.

With the exception of Community Board 1, which hosts 10 percent of Queens’ centers, other neighborhoods in the borough host 5 percent or less of centers in the borough. Community Board 11, which serves Bayside and Douglaston, does not have any shelters.

Dept. of Homeless Services data from the first half of this year show that 31 percent of clients eligible to enter the City’s homeless system were from CB 12, yet, nearly 60 percent of the borough’s homeless facilities are located in Downtown Jamaica. “We have far more than our fair share of homelessness in the district,” said CB 12 District Manager Yvonne Reddick.

This situation is similar to trends in

Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan, where only a few neighborhoods in each borough host the majority of centers. CB 12 once hosted the largest shelter in the City. Out of the 337 families housed, just 29 families were from Queens. Reddick suggested the location of homeless shelters may be due to facts beyond just an abundance of vacant property. “When you look and see where the shelters are, they’re in the minority communities,” Reddick said.

The oversaturation of homeless shelters is something CB 12 has been fighting for years. Reddick said out of the 17 shelters in the borough, 14 of them are in her community board. She said in addition to

City Zoning, Ever-Changing, Turns 50

BY ROSS BARKAN At first glance, the anniversary may seem as mundane as celebrating 100 years of municipal parking lots or 50 years of retroreflective highway signs. The words “zoning” and “land use” are enough to elicit a perplexed stare from just about anyone.

But the 50th anniversary of the 1961 zoning resolution is a time for all New Yorkers to take stock of how their City has evolved, and why. It’s a time to rail against City government and a time to celebrate City government. It’s a time to ask what New York and Queens will look like going forward, and whether the direction the City is taking will be a boon or a devastator for the neighborhoods that residents cherish.

The Dept. of City Planning is announcing the release of historic documents to celebrate the anniversary, but “celebration” is not the right word to describe current perspectives of that zoning resolution or Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s approach to zoning over the last decade.

Reaction has been much more muted and wary, as if good intentions went awry, or human error simply made the process imperfect.

“They based much of what they did on a fallacy, and that was that by today, we’d have 30 million people in the City,” said State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who served as the Chair of the Zoning and Franchises Committee when he was in

the City Council from 2002 to 2009. “The end result has been all of these out-ofcharacter constructions, inappropriate development and the destruction of many low-density communities.”

Avella said he understood the task of rezoning the City in 1961 was incredibly difficult and bound to run into trouble; 50 years ago, New York was a booming metropolis, still reaping the rewards of a post-World War II economic surge. Suburbs were multiplying outside the City limits and the more rural, suburban areas in Queens, it was assumed, would be devoured by a rapid and unyielding population growth.

What the 1961 resolution did was create incentive zoning in the City. It was a revision of the original 1916 zoning resolution that established height and setback controls, designating residential districts that excluded incompatible developments, like towering skyscrapers. The 1916 resolution is the reason why the Empire State Building didn’t end up in Woodhaven.

Residential, commercial, and manufacturing zones were created. By 1961, City Planning needed to revise the code – had New York been built out to the density envisioned in 1916, it could have held over 55 million people. The 1961 resolution incorporated parking requirements for large buildings to accommodate the new automobile culture. Developers were encouraged to create public amenities, like open spaces around their buildings

where anyone could congregate, and in exchange they were allowed to build additional floors. The public plaza was born, and so was another building boom.

“Priorities have changed over the years,” said Councilman Mark Weprin (DOakland Gardens). “Since I’ve been in the City Council, a priority has been to encourage affordable housing wherever possible. The city has become a city of rich and poor.”

In Queens today, battles ranging from the zoning of a Nissan dealership in Auburndale to massive downtown Flushing developments all bear the legacies of the 1916 and 1961 zoning resolutions.

Going forward, local activist Mandingo

Tshaka, who has lived in Bayside for almost all of his 80 years, hopes zoning no longer bears the taint of race that he has witnessed in Queens.

“As I learned about zoning, if you’re in the picture every day, you really don’t see the negative impacts, and you can miss them” said Tshaka, who said that the predominately African-American section of Bayside was zoned in the past to have more commercial and industrial buildings.

“You wouldn’t believe what they dump on certain areas. Some of the most lethal, toxic fumes come from body shops.”

Reach Reporter Ross Barkan at rbarkan@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

Maloney: Increase Car Safety

BY JASON BANREY

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) said she will use legislation to protect women in car crashes if the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not change its act.

Citing a recent study by the American Journal of Public Health that showed that women have a 47 percent greater chance of suffering severe injuries in cars crashed compared to men, Maloney wrote a letter to the Administrator of the NHTSA, David Strickland, urging federal regulators to not only evaluate

the study but also take action.

The study analyzed national crash data between 1998 and 2008, and highlighted current vehicle-safety systems that do not offer adequate protection for smaller-framed drivers or passengers.

Maloney is pushing for federal regulators to make sure they are doing all they can to protection women from higher injury rates resulting from automobile accidents.

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

Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

“Wishing You and Your Family a Happy Thanksgiving”

Congressman

GREGORY MEEKS 6TH DISTRICT

Paid for by Meeks for Congress

A Blue Collar Paradise In Jamaica

BY MONICA GANESH The 165th Street Terminal and the Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer train station are mere blocks away from Jamaica Avenue, a bargainers shopping haven. Jamaica Avenue is a blue-collar area where consumers can buy everything and anything for reasonable and cheap prices.

Along the avenue there are several warm nut and shish kabob vendors. The fastfood filled strip is known for the 165th Street pedestrian mall, a street north of Jamaica Avenue that is closed off to cars with small trendy stores targeted towards teenagers and young adults and the Colosseum Mall, which is at the end of the block.

Jamaica Avenue is a bustling stretch that has a bevy of African-American hair salons and product stores, and clothing and goods stores. It also has a bevy of Caribbean food stores in the Colosseum.

On the Avenue there are many clothing and formal dress stores such as Fashion Naomi, at 166-22 Jamaica Ave., which has beautiful formal gowns, dress shoes, tiaras and jewelry sets starting at $14.

There are also many linen and fabric stores where a shopper can find gifts. At MGM Linens, 165-07 Jamaica Ave., a wholesale and retail store, you can find quilt, blanket, towel, and toiletry sets at affordable prices.

S.H Jewelers and Fragrance and Savi’s Collection, both at 89-67 165th St., are neighboring businesses in the same quaint store located in the Colosseum. S.H has designer fragrances at sale prices starting from $10. They also carry brand name watches such as Bulova, Citizen and GShock starting at $80. Savi’s includes all handmade merchandise. She carries handmade earrings, bangles, key chains, leather wallets, purses, pouches and pottery starting from $10.

Further down 165th Street towards the Colosseum Mall is Game Planet, at 89-61 165th St., where you can find great gifts. Game Planet has been in Jamaica for almost 12 years, providing old and new video games. They also sell old games for older systems and consoles for new games. Game Planet sells games at a flat rate and without tax so that consumers can save a few bucks. If you have a gamer to buy a gift for Game Planet sells the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that costs $66 for just $60. The store also has children’s board games and watches from $5.

At the end of the block the shopping opportunities don’t end, but just begin because the Colosseum Mall has a plethora of booths, stores, and even has a food court. Jabot Original Perfume, 8902 165th St., carries top of the line perfumes such as Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Beyonce, Lacoste and Isimiaki.

The prices are a bit cheaper than the malls, but not by much because the perfume and colognes are authentic.

Jamaica provides shoppers with the opportunity to find all kinds of gifts at reasonable prices.

Affordable gifts are available this holiday season along Jamaica Avenue’s bustling strip of shops.

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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 Executive Editor:

Brian Rafferty Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam Comrie Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters: Harley Benson Veronica Lewin Domenick Rafter Jason Banrey Ross Barkan Art Dept:

Sara Gold Rhonda Leefoon Candice Lolier Barbara Townsend Advertising Director James Mammarella Sr. Account Executive Shelly Cookson Advertising Executives Merlene Carnegie Martin Moor Shari Strongin

Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

A Queens Tribune Publication. © Copyright 2011 Tribco, LLC

Michael Schenkler, President & Publisher

Michael Nussbaum, Vice President, Associate Publisher

Editorial We Need A Present This week we tell contrasting tales of need and giving. On our cover, we celebrate the selfless acts of the Rev. Dorothy Fentress and her crew of volunteers who have for years provided meals throughout the year – and on Thanksgiving – for the needy in our community. Her program is on the verge of collapse.

In this same edition, we rail against the struggle between the needs of the poorest in our communities and the “burden’ of hosting a disproportionate share of the City’s neediest within our borders.

On the one hand, we welcome and thank those who act selflessly to aid others; on the other hand, we shake our heads at the extra task being placed on our shoulders by those in need from beyond our community.

This is a tough dilemma, especially at the holidays, because we all want to do our share to help, but also want to avoid having our generosity abused.

We call upon our elected leaders to do two things. First, we want a true effort to restore parity among the needy – our communities should carry the burden of our neediest, not be addled by the yoke of an entire city.

Second, we need you to dip into your pockets, find those extra community dollars and help support the Rev. Dorothy Fentress and all those who volunteer to aid our own, to ensure that those among us who are unable to help themselves are able to accept the generosity of time, money and spirit so freely given by others.

That would be the greatest holiday present of all.

Letters Civic Void To The Editor: Over the years I’ve had occasion to work with Pat Dolan on several civic issues. While there were very few times when we disagreed on some aspect, the constant that was always there was Pat’s indefatigable commitment to pursuing what she believed was not only in the best interests of the people in Kew Gardens Hills, her residence, but for all of Queens and The City of New York.

There are too few Pat Dolan’s in our midsts. Her unfortunate

death leaves a human and civic void that will be difficult to fill.

Benjamin M. Haber, Flushing

A Great Loss To The Editor: The sudden and tragic death of Queens Civic Congress President Patricia Dolan has left the civic community shocked and grief stricken. She was struck and killed by a vehicle on her way to a community board committee meeting on the evening of Nov. 15.

Pat was a person who dedi-

Letters cated herself to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. She was not only concerned with local issues in her community but with county and city wide issues such as education, transportation, the environment, libraries and zoning.

As part of her job as president of the Queens Civic Congress, an organization made up of over 100 civic and community groups, Pat frequently testified at city agency hearings, wrote letters to city officials and the newspapers regarding concerns of her organization and hosted many important Civic Congress events. She lobbied elected leaders for changes that would be positive for the stability of our neighborhoods.

Pat was intelligent, knowledgeable, tenacious and fearless and she was a role model for many of us in terms of community activism. She was also a friend and I will miss her. My condolences to her family and all of her many friends.

Henry Euler, Bayside

Shop Local To The Editor: Please join me and your neighbors on the second annual national Small Business Saturday, this coming Saturday, Nov. 26.

Skip the national chain stores annual Black Friday Madness, which now starts late Thursday night. Stay home and enjoy your Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. Get a good night’s sleep and instead come out and support Small Business by shopping local. In these difficult economic times, it is especially im-

portant to patronize your neighborhood businesses. There are so many great options to choose from.

My wife and I don’t mind occasionally paying a little more to help our local businesses survive.

At your favorite local neighborhood restaurant, don’t forget your cook and server. We try to tip 20 percent against the total bill including taxes. If it is an odd amount, we round up to the next dollar. If we can afford to eat out, we can afford an extra dollar tip.

When ordering take out, we always leave a dollar or two for the cook. It is appreciated.

Remember these people are our neighbors. They work long hours, pay taxes and provide local employment. If we don’t patronize our local community stores and restaurants to shop and eat, they don’t eat either.

Please join me and your neighbors in continuing to support the Queens Tribune. Patronize their advertisers; they provide the necessary revenues to help keep them in business. Let them know you saw their ads. This helps keep our neighbors employed and the local economy growing.

Larry Penner, Great Neck

WRITE ON: The PRESS of Southeast Queens, 150-50 14th Rd. Whitestone, NY 11357 email news@queenspress.com fax: (718) 357-9417

Give In The Season Of Thanks And Giving A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

Earlier this week my son came home, late and tired after school.

I was home when he got there.

“How come you’re so late?” I inquired.

“Bus took forever to come,” he responded. “It was so crowded and I was so tired; but by the grace of God I found a seat.

Then just as I was getting comfortable and enjoying it, an old man got on the bus, huffing and puffing. How could I not give it to him?”

I am so proud of my son for always giving his seat to pregnant women, the elderly and any cute girl he knew from middle school.

It is important to me as a parent that my kids respect their elders and are thoughtful toward those who need it most.

I praised him for deferring to the “old man” on the bus and told

him God allowed him to get that seat, not for himself, but because He knew he would be the one to give it to a person who needed it more.

Anybody who says this is a lost generation is wrong. True, there are a lot of insane things going on in our city and our world.

Kids killing kids over a cell phone – or for any other reason – is a phenomenon that is hard to comprehend. The gun violence on our streets is enough to make you hurl; it is distressing and alarming.

But there are still decent kids out there who work for good grades and who don’t cheat on the SATs; and they help those who are in need to the extent that they are able to do so. Even the kids who don’t give up their seats are not necessarily “bad” kids.

They’re just not thinking about it or they have not been sensitized to that need.

But this season, more than any other, we are reminded not just to be thankful for our own good fortunes, no matter how small they may seem. It is also the “season of giving,” and so in addition to giving of our material resources, we are reminded that small or random acts of kindness are important and appreciated as well.

Sometimes we get so caught up with our own needs that we forget that no matter what our lack may be, there are others whose needs are greater, and it is our responsibility as human beings to give, as in the Old Testament story of Elijah and the “widow’s last meal.” The prophet asked the starving woman to share with him the last morsel of food she was saving to feed her son a last meal before they curl up and die. Elijah told her that not only should she feed him (Elijah), but he also had the audacity to tell

her to feed him first. She complied and her supply of food increased and lasted beyond the season of famine. That is an early miracle of giving.

In our own time, poet Maya Angelou has said, “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

So this holiday season as we plan to enjoy our special meals and holiday gifts, may we take a few hours to be helpful to those who may not have an independent meal to enjoy nor a home to enjoy it in or even a warm bed afterwards.

In my family we usually volunteer to help serve food at a soup kitchen or at a restaurant bent on being generous to the homeless for that day. Nothing beats the smile that comes from a thankful heart when you hand someone a plate – someone who otherwise would go hungry.

Enjoy the season and be safe.

Op-Ed

The Still Untapped Potential Of MWBE

BY COUNCILMAN JAMES SANDERS, JR.

To The Rescue: Photo by Michael VonDerLieth

On Friday, Nov. 18, about 11 p.m. a child was removed from a manhole

by FDNY units and transported to Long Island Jewish Hospital by Rescue Medics. The manhole was located in a wooded area at 168th Street and Underhill Avenue.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7

With the passage of Local Law 129 in 2005, the New York City Council created the Minority and Women-owned Businesses Enterprise Certification Program, which at its core, was designed to encourage a bit more fairness for businesses owned and operated by women and people of color in their dealings with the City. It was supposed to give minority businesses a more level playing field to compete for city contracts and in so doing, promote their own businesses while contributing to the City’s economy.

I was extremely proud to have been the prime sponsor of this landmark piece of legislation, and even more excited about the benefits I hoped it would bring to the communities of color in New York City. After six years, it’s time to evaluate the program again, to see where we’ve succeeded, where we are falling short, and where we could be doing more to open doors for women and people of color.

While Mayor Rudy Giuliani did a great many things for New York City, it’s hard to deny that communities of color suffered during his reign. Estimates suggest that the African and Latin American communities may have lost as much as $10 billion in potential investments from the City during Giuliani’s time as mayor. Racial anxieties and irrational fears were widespread during this time, and the result was unnecessary damage both to minority communities and the New York City economy as a whole.

Today, the general consensus is that while race relations have improved, the MWBE program has been a failure. It has not succeeded in bringing about the economic boon to minority and women owned businesses we had hoped and imagined. The City still deals disproportionately with contractors from out of New York City or worse, out of state, shipping NYC tax dollars to other jurisdictions when the same work could be done by businesses right here in New York.

Late last year, Comptroller John Liu released a study suggesting that minority

and women owned businesses are receiving less than 2 percent of the contracts awarded by the City. In response, his office instituted an MWBE Report Card, which would monitor the percentage of contracts awarded by the City to MWBEs. The results, to say the least, have been disappointing.

It is simply a fact that businesses hire people who look like themselves; it is simply a matter of convenience and comfort. Minority businesses are shrinking at least in part because they cannot compete successfully for government contracts being awarded by people who look nothing like them; who, through virtually no fault of their own, are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with businesses representing cultures and places distinct from their own.

It’s clear that we need to do more. It should cost the City dearly to do business with outside contractors. City-based businesses should have a natural leg up on companies from New Jersey or Westchester when awarding contracts, and MWBEs should enjoy still more benefits. External businesses who do get awarded contracts with the City should also have to ensure that they employ as many local workers as possible. The certification process should be streamlined, and requests for proposals from the City sent first to MWBEs. There are of course, also ways to construct disincentives for outside businesses to come into New York, including the closure of tax loopholes, and other means.

That tw percent of City contracts could be awarded to MWBEs after the enactment of Local Law 129 points to a systematic effort to exclude that is simultaneously deeply engrained and, in all likelihood, innocently constructed. People hire people who look like themselves. People award contracts in the same way. In a city that is majority minority, like New York, we need the economic playing field to mirror the social landscape. As long as minorities continue to be excluded from big contracts from the City, New York will never be maximizing its true economic potential.

Many Factors Will Determine Voter Choices

Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

By HENRY STERN The Occupy Wall Street campaign is faltering, despite considerable public sympathy for the social issues which the protesters seek to publicize.

The pickets and other demonstrators focused on a seam of popuHenry lar discontent at economic inequality in the United States, the difficult y people face i n obtai ni ng work, and the failure of wages to keep up with rising costs. The effects of the Great Recession, specifically people losing their jobs, their mortgaged homes and large portions of their 401(k)s, have left millions of Americans unhappy with their own economic situation and their prospects for the future.

Although there is widespread dissat isfact ion w it h Pre sident Obama, the public holds Congress in even lower regard. Last month, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll, Congress registered a 9 percent approval rating, the worst in the legislative body’s history since Americans were first surveyed on the subject in 1977.

Although the President may have erred in reaching too far and, paradoxically, retreating too often, the Congressional followers of “Just Say No,” have offered the American people next to nothing.

One improvement in civic discourse comes from the spread of C-Span and other programs dealing with public issues. We know more about our public officials than we did years ago. We can discern what they really mean, both from their choice of clichés and from their body language. When one

strips the gibberish and the plat itude s from the remarks of the lawmakers and the w itnesse s who testify before them, one can get a sense of what is actually going on in the minds of the players.

It is true that they speak in code; that is a convention of public disStern course. If many of our representatives said in public what they actually believe, their careers would be terminated. We see how many entertainers, performers or talking hosts have lost their jobs because of words and phrases which are politically incorrect, or capable of offending any group of people, whether racial, religious, ideological or gender-linked.

Speech can be offensive, and the characterization of a group because of the behavior of a small number of its members places an unwholesome and possibly dangerous strain on the fabric of a heterogeneous society. We now attempt to deal with this situation by defining certain abusive words as “hate speech” and penalizing the speaker.

As always, the responsible approach in marginal cases is to seek balance, with freedom exercised with responsibilit y. At my law school graduation, a quotation was read that I learned was coined by a professor in the 1930’s and has been recited annually since that time.”You are ready to aid in the shaping and application of those w ise re straint s t hat make men free.”

By substituting ‘people’ for the possibly suspect noun ‘men,’ the sentence gains at least another

century of useful life, unless another euphemism comes into fashion.

The unhappine ss expressed by the demonstrators, pickets and campers at Zuccotti Park is by no means confined to one city, state, or region. It partly stems from the belief that government is too far removed from the people, or at least far from the people who are complaining. It is partly a reaction to t he re sentment expre ssed against the poor, the disabled and others who may receive public assistance or public (except military) employment. The distaste for public programs may (or may not) have some roots in ethnic or class antipathy.

Occupy Wall Street offers no particular solutions to the issues it raises. Making public services free or more easily available will increase the $15 trillion national debt and promote economic instability. Rich people have far more mobility than the poor, and can more easily move to tax havens.

It is not uncommon, however, to hear groups complaining but without practical solutions to the problems they address. Sometimes futilit y raises the intensit y of the complaint.

We will watch closely as this grievance spreads or withers, along w ith the oncoming President ial campaign. Our thought is that the race will be decided by the public judgments of millions of individuals, which will to some extent be intuitive and individually may be irrational, as to which candidate is a better person and which one will do a better job. Television brings the candidates closer to the people, and assuming that the candidates

are roughly equivalent in ability and re sources to deceive the public, something close to the truth may emerge from the welter of claims and denials. E pluribus unum, out of many one.

What happened on Wall Street is simply that people got tired of the act. Ever y Broadway show opens and closes; almost all politicians, as well as empires, rise and then decline. What begins as new and striking becomes familiar and eventually tiresome. This is particularly true when the participants are not particularly knowledgeable about what they are doing.

We predict that there will be other disturbances in the pre-election period, and that there will be an attempt to unify the left on a program, just as the Tea Part y movement has to some extent or-

ganized the right. Time will tell which group gains strength, but one thing that any political movement needs is an agenda, which has not yet emerged from the left, while the right simply offers negativit y.

Someone will be sworn in as President on Sunday, January 20, 2013.We hope the person will be able. You have probably never heard of him, but you should add Gar y Johnson, the Republica n former two-term governor of New Mexico, as a long-shot who should be considered, if these decisions were made on the merits rather than on media attention or scandal.

If Gar y Johnson get s anywhere in 2012, remember that you read it first here.

StarQuest@NYCivic.org

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Police Blotter Compiled By ROSS BARKAN

104th Precinct L Train Assault The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying three men wanted for an assault. On Nov. 8, at approximately 2:10 a.m., on the Queens bound L train at Myrtle / Wyckoff, a 25-year-old man was assaulted by three unknown black men.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Web site at nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are kept confidential.

trial before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph A. Zayas.

108th Precinct LIE Collision On Saturday, Nov. 19, at approximately 5:07 a.m., police officers responded to a vehicle accident on the east bound side of the Long Island Expressway at 48th Street.

Officers discovered that a black 1998 Jeep

106th Precinct

Wrangler entered the LIE at the 48th Street ramp entrance traveling eastbound.

A 1993 Peterbuilt tractor was also traveling eastbound in the center lane when he saw the jeep swerving into his lane.

The jeep then collided into the right passenger side cabin of the trailer and swerved out of control into a wall. The jeep had a total of five occupants who were moved to area hospitals while the driver of the tractor was uninjured.

John Gilette, a 37-year-old man, was charged with aggravated vehicular assault second degree, DWI, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operator, and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Every passenger from the jeep is listed in stable condition as of press time except one, who is listed in critical condition.

114th Precinct

Gang Assault

Missing Man

Queens DA Richard Brown announced on Nov. 21 that a 26-year-old construction worker from Howard Beach has been convicted following a jury trial of first-degree gang assault and other charges for an August 2009 attack on an off-duty police officer during a traffic dispute.

Joseph J. Meyer, 26, of 153-37 78th St. faces up to 25 years in prison. He was convicted of first-degree gang assault and first-degree assault following a six-day jury

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in finding a man reported missing.

Zechar Wolsky, 25, of 18-41 21st Rd., was last seen leaving his residence on Wednesday, Nov. 16, approximately at 9:30 a.m. wearing black sweat pants, a black tee shirt, black boots and a brown plaid jacket.

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

Police are attempting to locate Zechar Wolsky, who has gone missing.

nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are kept confidential.

115th Precinct Forced Touch On Saturday, Nov. 19, at approximately 5:35 a.m., an off-duty city employee was arrested. Anthony Marcelle, a 50-year-old man, an employee of the Dept. of Sanitation, was charged with forcible touching.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY TO HELP SOLVE A CRIME.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9

Jamaica Bay’s Rebirth:

Despite Years Of Industrial Neglect, Boro National Park Makes Comeback

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

A gentle breeze whisks through the reeds, pushing the waters of Jamaica Bay with it. Gliding along the water, a flock of ducks, lined up like an invading army, eyes the surface and occasionally drops their heads below water, dipping into the bay like feather-clad biscotti in a flood of cappuccino.

The quaint sounds of nature are interrupted by a roar and a screech. A Europebound Airbus A380, the world’s largest jet airliner, cuts a swath through the sky like a bullet, rising from the main runway of John F. Kennedy Airport; its engines screaming, piercing eardrums. The startled ducks take flight, as if chasing the jetliner in anger for disturbing their afternoon.

It is at that moment, you remember: this is New York City.

The contrast of a coastal marshy lagoon and the Western Hemisphere’s largest urban area tells the story of a battle between man and nature that man has long been winning. But local residents, businesses, and city and federal officials, tired of watching a natural wonder devolve into a cesspool, aimed to turn that tumultuous coexistence into one of symbiotic cohabitation – and they are succeeding.

A Victim of Progress Jamaica Bay is one of the city’s largest bodies of water. It makes up 10 percent of the total square acreage of the entire city. It’s geographically not a bay, rather a lagoon, connected to Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean through the Rockaway Inlet. Before man and industry conquered its shores, it was a habitat for shellfish and one of the most profitable oyster farming areas in the world.

Pollution changed the scene at the bay at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, around the turn of the century, and by 1921 the city banned the consumption of the bay’s oysters. The ban stemmed from the belief that Jamaica Bay’s shellfish contributed to a typhoid outbreak a decade earlier.

Over the next century, the environmental situation at the bay deteriorated rapidly. Jamaica Bay became living – or perhaps dying – proof that nature was no match for the progress of man. The advent of the automobile meant New Yorkers could travel to Long Island or New Jersey for recreation; construction around the bay, especially of Floyd Bennet Field and JFK Airport, killed thousands of acres of marshland. In Brooklyn, the city used the shores for landfill, and dredgeing destroyed the underwater environment. In the 19th Century, fertilizer factories on Barren Island, currently the site of Floyd Bennet Field, added to pollution in the bay. In 1991, a pipe at a sewage treatment facility in the Rockaways burst spewing 68 million gallons of raw sewage into the bay causing a local ecological disaster.

Revitalization of Jamaica Bay may be the greatest opportunity to attract visitors from surrounding urban areas.

Recently, Hindus from nearby Richmond Hill have used the bay as a place to make offerings, but those often become f lotsam junk that wash back ashore and end merely as litter. Park rangers have since increased their enforcement to stop rituals along the bay, which mainly take place on Cross Bay Boulevard on the Broad Channel side of the Joseph P. Addabbo Bridge.

Jamaica Bay’s geology also hinders its ability to handle pollution. Most of the bay is not much deeper than the average backyard swimming pool. Water in the bay only escapes through the narrow Rockaway Inlet and it often means pollution gets trapped by currents; good for the ocean, not so good for the bay.

Turning Brown Water Blue Acknowledging that nature’s loss to man would be mutually destructive; man turned the tide and focused on repairing the damage done to the bay. In 1972, Congress created the Gateway National Recreation Area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior, the cabinet agency that also oversees national parks and national monuments. Much of the Jamaica Bay is covered by this area, which also includes parts of coastal Staten Island and Sandy Hook, N.J., closing it to development.

The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was also established in 1972, covering nearly all of the western half of the bay and some on the east. The refuge is the only one within the National Park Service and has become home to species of birds and other wildlife not often seen by city-dwellers.

But right up to the present day, Jamaica Bay’s notoriety for being polluted has remained, often erroneously because of stereotypes of urban bodies of water or misconceptions of how much has been done over the years to clean it up. During the 1990s, Jamaica Bay’s negative reputation was featured during an episode of The Nanny, when Sylvia, the mother of Fran Fine, played by Flushing-native Fran Drescher, eats shellfish from the bay, only to break out in an ugly rash – a throwback

to the Typhoid-diseased oysters of 80 years prior – and later brings her daughter a lobster from the bay, which is the size of a dog.

But the truth is, Jamaica Bay didn’t have mutant lobsters or disease-ridden clams. In fact by the end of the 20th Century, it barely had any shellfish or mollusks at all. Increased nitrogen levels, a byproduct of sewage treatment, nearly wiped the bay clean out of its marshes and its wildlife.

In the last decade, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers underwent an ambitious marsh restoration project. In 2006 and 2007, 48 acres of marshland were restored in Elders Point West and Elders Point East – just south of Spring Creek and Howard Beach – and Yellow Bar, west of Broad Channel. In 2009, oysters were reintroduced to the bay to help clean the water and reduce nitrogen levels that have long suffocated life there.

Further, the Environmental Protection Agency announced last month Jamaica Bay would now be a “no discharge zone,” a designation that would prevent boats from dumping sewage into the bay. The city has invested millions into water treatment plants in Brooklyn aimed at decreasing the dangerous levels of nitrogen that have severely damaged the bay’s ecology.

But the return of Jamaica Bay’s natural wonders has not been entirely without its problems for man. As Diamondback Turtles return to lay their eggs in the bay, they have surfaced in some inconvenient places. At least twice, groups of turtles rising out of the waters to lay their eggs have forced the closure of JFK’s bay runway. But their return has been seen as a sure sign cleanup efforts have succeeded in leaps and bounds.

New York National Park “What we need now is a vision for the bay,” said Dan Mundy Jr., Vice President of Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers. That is just what they might be getting.

Eyeing a future of being the city’s main destination for recreation, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar met in Brooklyn Oct. 27 to sign an agreement outlining federal and city obligations in the bay. Secretary Salazar said the bay, and the larger Gateway National Recreation Area, was a “priority” of the Obama Administration because they are focusing on bringing people in urban areas, home to a majority of the country’s population, to the outdoors in cost-effective ways. Part of that would be to utilize natural resources within cities themselves.

“We are asking ‘how do we connect urban populations to the outdoors?”

Salazar said. “New York may be the greatest opportunity we have.”

In the future, the Bloomberg administration said it would revisit transit options connecting the city to the bay, including buses and ferries to places like Floyd Bennet Field and Jacob Riis Park.

In 2010, with the help of parkland advocacy group Trust for Public Land, a portion of the waterfront near the Cross Bay Bridge at Beach 88th Street was transformed into a bayside park, one of only a few along the oft-forgotten bay shore of the Rockaway Peninsula. This is welcome news for many living around the bay.

“I encourage more visitors, I encourage more people coming out to Rockaway,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Far Rockaway), who represents most of the Queens portion of the bay. “People don’t realize the hidden treasures [here]. I think we need to take advantage of that.”

Mundy, who is also president of the Broad Channel Civic Association, noted that was already happening.

“I’ve never seen so many people use [Jamaica Bay],” he said.

The basins that dot the shoreline in Brooklyn and Queens are filled with pleasure boats headed for the bay on a typical summer day. The rise in usage has led to traffic jams, usually reserved for the bridges over the bay, now common in the maritime channels in Howard Beach and Mill Basin. Frank Charles Park in Howard Beach is home to a sandy beach on the bay’s shores that was often avoided by park goers and is now crowded on a typical warm afternoon.

This, Goldfeder said, is good not only for the bay, but also for the economies of the communities surrounding it, proof that man and nature, once at war in the waters of Jamaica Bay, can not only live in peace, but have a productive relationship.

“It’s more than being about people coming to our neighborhood, it’s about people coming into our neighborhood and visiting our stores, eating in our restaurants, and shopping in our boutiques,” he said.

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

Southeast Queens Photos Edited By Harley Benson

Jamaica's 'Network Now' Meeting

Photos by Walter Karling

Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

Dustin Keller (l. to r.) and fans Laurel Brown and Simone Price.

The arrival of the featured guest: NY Jets Tight End No. 81 Dustin Keller who graciously signed autographed photos throughout the evening..

Greeting guests at the handsomely-designed welcoming placard: Antonio Tseng (l. to r.) and Lloyd Cambridge, Account Managers of the NYC Business Solutions Queens Center; Simone Price, Executive Director of the Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District; Eduardo Urreta, Segment Marketing Manager of Verizon; and Laurel Brown, Executive Director of the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District.

NYS Assemblyman William Scarborough (l.) and Cedric Dew of the Jamaica YMCA.

Go To College Photo by Juliet Kaye

The Jamaica Center and Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement Districts held their jointly-sponsored inaugural "Network Now" series, a gathering of Jamaica area business people, residents, political figures dedicated to the furthering of Jamaica's reputation as one of NYC's what'shappening neighborhoods. The soiree was held Nov. 15, at the Verizon store located on Jamaica Avenue in the downtown shopping area.

Gerald Carter, a Remediation Specialist with the Parodneck Foundation, was the guest speaker at Assemblyman William Scarborough's 29th AD Task Force Meeting. Carter helps homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments and are facing foreclosure free of charge every Thursday at Scarborough's District Office at 12931A Merrick Blvd in St. Albans. For information, call Scarborough's District Office at (718) 723-5412.

Photo by Juliet Kaye

pix

Assembly Task Force

The You Can Go To College Committee celebrated its 15th Annual Achievement Awards and sending more than 4,200 students to college. Seated l. to r.: Honoree Detective Mary Woods; Sister Shirley Dye; Exec. Dir. Dorita Clark; Honoree Monique Meyers; and Honoree Dr. Charlene Smith. Standing l. to r.: Honoree Charles Billups; Councilman Leroy Comrie; Honoree John Crow; Honoree Eric Green; Lt. Dennis Mitchell; Assemblyman William Scarborough; Honoree Donovan Richards; Honoree Eric Sanders; and Honoree Anthony Quarless.

NYC Councilman Leroy Comrie (l. to r.), Tyra Emerson of the Cultural Collaborative of Jamaica, and non-profit fundraiser Valerie Cole-Davis.

Networking attendees take a break for the camera: Mikki Columbus (l. to r.), Charlene Joseph, Shanqua Harrison and LaToya Morgan.

A full house in attendance for the exciting successful gathering. One of many more to come.

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Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

A&E

Turkish Ceramic Art Fills Town Hall

BY ROSS BARKAN

Sin-ying Ho digs the scissors into the thick cardboard box, slashing open the flap and beginning an unraveling process that is exhilarating for any artist. As the blue tape is peeled away, and the packing Styrofoam is tossed aside, she gleefully holds in her hands a piece of art that has traveled thousands of miles and into her hands.

“This is silkscreen, look at the beautiful detail,” she says, holding a ceramic piece that will join with several others to form a diamond. In some ways, this is the official genesis of an art show.

Ho, an associate professor in the Department of Art at Queens College, is organizing the “Ceramic Material and Material Culture” art show at Flushing Town Hall that opened Saturday, Nov. 19, and

Restaurant Review

Embrace Maria’s Greek Delights Next up was the Ostras de Maria (Maria’s Oysters), similar in concept to Oysters Rockefeller, but with less of a steakhouse vibe. Yes, there’s sautéed spinach and cheese, but it’s parmesan, and served with this fantastic sauce of butter, cream and white wine that will turn even the most wimpy “I can’t eat that if it’s on a shell” person into a true mollusk lover.

Of similar concept, but from a whole different place comes the Gemista Manitaria, a grilled Portobello mushroom stuffed with spinach and feta, popped under the broiler and coming out tasting like a perfectly cooked steak with a side of creamed spinach.

Exhausted, but determined to make it through the meal, we moved on to our main dishes of Kontosouvli, a spit-cooked marinated pork shoulder, and a similar lamb dish that wasn’t on the menu, but ready to be served. (At this point I should point out that the menu says, “Ask your server what Maria cooked this morning.”

It’s a good idea – there’s always something special going on).

Back to the meat – the pork shoulder was tender and that great balance of lean and fat that makes it the perfect cut for barbecue and stews. The lamb was from the rib and side, so think of the tenderness of short ribs and skirt steak, and you’ve got the concept – except with the kind of crust that only rotisserie can bring. Both come with fresh sliced red onion, and if you’re a condiment guy (or gal), they probably are fantastic with a slight dollop of the tzatziki.

We didn’t have any of the whole fish, but judging from some of our dining neighbors, that’s going have to be at the top of our list when we go back.

We finished our meal with a trip of desserts – and you won’t find a menu with them listed; it’s all about what is fresh for the day. We sampled a honey cake that just oozed happiness on every bite; a lemon tart that was somewhere between a cheesecake, a meringue pie and heaven; and a honey custard pie with a phyllo topping.

I couldn’t pronounce the names – I’m having trouble right now spelling them – but everything was delicious. Just head over to Maria’s and put your meal in their hands. They know what they’re doing.

—Brian M. Rafferty

“Ceramic Material and Material Culture” will feature a variet y of ceramic art at Flushing Town Hall.

work appearing in the exhibition, and who studied with Ho in Canada. “For her to invite me to this show was a big honor.”

Anat Shiftan, another artist in the exhibition, said her Israeli heritage informed her approach to ceramics.

“Armenian potters of Jerusalem were invited last century to renovate the Mosque of the Rock (El Aksa mosque),” Shiftan said.

“Their workshops and products made in Jerusalem have always inspired me.”

The three Turkish artists, Burçak Bingöl, Zehra Çobanlý, and Ayþe Aysun Sandýkcýoðlu were unavailable for comment because they were en route to America. Ho praised their remarkable ability to incorporate the raw materials and influences of ancient cultures to create wholly new works of art.

“I want people to see how these materials have no boundaries of country or culture,” Ho said.

Reach Reporter Ross Barkan at rbarkan@queenstribune.com or (718) 3577400, Ext. 127.

Holiday Tradition Set For Queensboro Return The Oratorio Society of Queens will perform portions of Handel’s “Messiah,” as well as traditional Christmas favorites and Chanukah songs on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m. in the Queensborough Performing Arts Center.

The Queens’ institution will be opening its 85th Anniversary Season with 120-plus members under the direction of Maestro David Close. Featured soloists performing include Geraldine McMillian, soprano, Dory Schultz, tenor, Vaughn Fritts, bass-baritone, and Guest Artist Cantor Jerry Korobow with the Orchestra Arts Ensemble of Queens.

More program highlights include the traditional “Al HaNissim” celebrating the great miracles of redemption at this season and “Light the Legend,” by American film composer, Michael Isaacson.

This program also features tradi-

tional carols “Good King Wenceslas,” “O Holy Night,” “Adeste Fideles”, a West Indian Christmas song “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” and a 1940’s musical take on the beloved holiday poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Queensborough Performing Arts Center is located in Queensborough Community College at 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, on 56th Avenue one block east of Springfield Boulevard. Parking is free on the main lot next to the theater, which offers easy-access entry.

Ticket prices at the box office are $30 general admission, $25 seniors and students with ID; children, 12 and under, accompanied by an adult, are free.

For additional information, call the Oratorio Society of Queens at (718) 2793006 or visit queensoratorio.org

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15

MARIA’S 38-11 Bell Blvd., Bayside (718) 279-1606 CUISINE: Greek HOURS: 11 am -11 pm Mon-Sat; noon to 11 pm Sun DELIVERY: No (takeout) CREDIT CARDS: All Major Sometimes, not knowing the language is a disadvantage. You walk into a restaurant and the names of the dishes sound scary. I know that for many of us, our experience with Greek food ends at Souvlaki and maybe spanikopita (better known as spinach pie).

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

But there’s an answer to that fear and a way of handling it – go to a great restaurant, and put your meal in their hands – which is exactly what my guest and I did Tuesday night at Maria’s Restaurant in Bayside.

We met Tommy, whose mother Maria was busy in the back cooking up for a sizeable dinner party, and told him to bring us what he wanted (keeping in mind that my guest is allergic to shellfish). He agreed to provide the appetizers and we would pick the main dishes.

And so it began.

We started with the Antipasto Platter of Tzatziki (yogurt, cucumber and garlic), Melitzanosalata (grilled eggplant, onions and red peppers mashed into a chunky spread), Skordalia (mashed potatoes, garlic and olive oil blended) and Taramas (caviar and whipped olive oil). It came with plentiful fresh-grilled pita, slices of tomato and enough aroma floating off the top of the platter to drive us crazy. As we noshed, one of the servers walked over and suggested we try some of the melitzanosalata together with the tzatziki.

Yes, please. Each combination provided a different texture and flavor from the next.

But we could not dwell on our dips too long, because the next one had already arrived. This was the Tirokafteri, spicy peppers cooked on charcoal and hand beaten into feta cheese. The mixture is then used to fill red peppers that are split lengthwise and put under a broiler do create a bubbling mixture with a crisp and chewy feta crust. Served with more pita, it certainly added fire to the cool of the other dips.

will run until Jan. 19, 2012. The show is a part of Queens College’s “Year of Turkey” and will feature seven international artists, three of whom are Turkish. Each year, Queens College offers academic programming focusing on a particular nation, and this art show will be a part of that initiative, as well as a celebration of ceramic art, an art form that Ho believes is sometimes misunderstood in Western cultures.

“There is always a hierarchy of fine art, and sometimes people don’t think of ceramics in the same way they think of painting,” Ho said. “Ceramics is not only about clay. You need heat to change the property. It is also a science, as well as an art.”

The small yet effervescent Ho is an artist herself, a cheerleader for ceramic arts who has been featured in galleries worldwide. She is quick to point out that Pablo Picasso and Paul Gauguin created ceramic works of art as well as paintings. As a young struggling actress in Hong Kong, Ho dreamed of success on the stage, but found her true calling to be ceramics. She was educated in Canada and the United States, mastering both ancient Chinese techniques of porcelain ceramic making and digital decal printing. The seven artists she found have pieces that combine traditional ceramics, photography, sculpture and other forms of mixed media to create an immersive visual experience.

Ho explained that the show is called “Ceramic Material and Material Culture” because she wanted to emphasize the versatility of ceramic art, and how our material culture – items for everyday use like furniture and computers – can reflect art as well. Art is also the processes and utilities of daily existence. Material and artistic culture, according to Ho, record the evidence of change in societies like Turkey, where shifts occurred between Byzantine and Islamic styles of architecture.

“My work deals with pattern and sacred space, with the idea of repetition and symmetry as a ref lection of the divine,” said Eliza Au, an artist who has

Faith

Residents Fear Loss Of Historic Site

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

For years, the site of a 150-year-old church in mostly-industrial West Maspeth has become a proxy battle between a neighborhood desiring a park in an area known for dirty factories and polluted water, and the city that residents feel has repeatedly ignored them.

The site on Rust Street formerly housed St. Saviour’s Church, which was dismantled a few years ago and currently sits warehoused in boxes. The site was purchased by a developer, Maspeth De-

velopment LLC, and for the past few years, activists in Maspeth and surrounding communities have been pushing the city to purchase the land from the developer and turn the site into a park.

But with negotiations stalling with the developer, who said the city offer was “well below” what they purchased the site for five years ago, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) proposed a secondary site for a park a few blocks away – at 61st Street and Maspeth Avenue, adjacent to Martin Luther High School. The land is only about one-fourth

Word

“A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair.”

—Abraham Joshua Heschel

the size of the St. Saviour’s site. The offer led to another flare up of tensions between the city and its Maspeth denizens.

“My office has worked hard to pursue a park at St. Saviour’s, and will continue to support any effort to make that area a green space. However, it is very difficult to acquire property when the owner is not willing to sell,” Crowley said. “The possibility of acquiring the Martin Luther site, which has a willing seller, is real and it should be pursued.”

Local activists, like Newtown Historical Society President Christina Wilkinson, are pointing the finger at Crowley, saying she has not done enough to get the city to acquire the St. Saviour’s site and is prematurely throwing in the towel.

“I can’t believe they torpedoed this project, which has boroughwide and City Hall support, in return for a much smaller site that is nothing but a maybe at this point and is not in jeopardy of being sold or developed as the St. Saviour’s site is,” Wilkinson said.

Crowley said she wanted to explore parkland in both sites and proposed the Martin Luther site because she feared losing earmarked city funding allocated to purchase the St. Saviour site during the next round of budget negotiations. But Wilkinson said losing money in budget battles rarely kills projects, only delays

them, and the funding should easily be restored.

She added that she also fears other means of revenue to raise the funds to buy the site, such as New York State Dept. of Transportation funding as part of mitigation from the construction of the new Kosciusko Bridge and more than $1 million in mitigation funding from the Newtown Creek Waste Treatment Plant, may be lost, putting the project further in jeopardy because funders may think the proposed park at St. Saviour’s is dead.

Wilkinson said she has not given up on St. Saviour’s, even as the foundations for new warehouses have been laid. At a rally in May, supporters even pushed for eminent domain to be used and for the city to condemn the property, as a last resort.

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

Keepin’ The Faith?

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Notebook Changing Tomorrow Today

Helping Bridge The Generation Gap Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

BY VERONICA LEWIN One Jamaica resident believes connecting generations is the link to bridging the academic achievement gap in City schools.

Mae Machicote has been working toward improving the lives of her neighbors at the Northeastern Towers apartment building for years. Before she stepped down as Tenant Association president, Machicote helped plan events to strengthen the residential community. A few years ago, the program Changing Tomorrow Today began as a way to connect seniors with a younger generation.

The program gives high school students the opportunity to have senior role models, while also counting towards their required community service credits. The pilot program received student volunteers from nearby August Martin High School.

“What I liked about that school is that their guidance department is fabulous,” Machicote said. “They’re not there just to reprimand kids, but to lift them up.” Dur-

ing youth with seniors ing the first year, six students committed to the helps bring intergenerational prointergenerational respect and she hopes gram. the program will take In order to bridge steps to combat issues the generation gap, the that affect young students were required to interview four senior people. “We need to mentors to learn more connect with our youth,” she said. about their lives.

Machicote said she Machicote said the believes in the poem conversation was influ“Children Learn What ential for both the stuThey Live,” by Dordents and seniors. The student volunteers also othy Law Nolte, which says children grow up provided room service to be a ref lection of to residents, including Mae Machiote their childhood. shut-in seniors who of“They’re like little ten do not get to interact with others. Machicote said the se- seeds,” Machicote said. “If we don’t plant niors enjoyed the time with the students them in fertile ground, they’re not going as much as the students enjoyed learning to succeed.”

When the students go to senior proabout past generations.

Machicote said today’s generation has grams in the future, Machicote said, they a lack of respect for authority, causing a are less hesitant to approach the elders divide between the two age groups; link- because the gap has been filled. Some stu-

dents do not have grandparents they can talk to about their family history, and speaking with the seniors can be helpful to understand.

Machicote also hopes to improve the foster care system to give children more opportunities and prepare them for when they age out of the system. She hopes children leave the system with independent living skills to succeed in society.

Through Changing Tomorrow Today, the students and seniors created a Unity Garden, which is in the back of the Northeastern Towers. Machicote said the garden is a symbol of the strength of the community. Two years after the first seed was planted, the garden is a thriving success.

At the end of the Changing Tomorrow Today program, students and seniors each receive a certificate to acknowledge their participation. Machicote hopes to continue the program, and bring in other schools in the area to expand its reach.

Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

Profile

Expanding A Gaze Beyond Downtown

BY VERONICA LEWIN Ricardi Calixte, director of the Neighborhood Economic Development for the Queens Economic Development Corp., has a vision for economic opportunities that spread to areas outside of Downtown Jamaica.

Downtown Jamaica is thriving economically, and several plans are in the works to bring even more people to the area. However, the rest of Southeast Queens has not seen that same level of economic success. The South Jamaica resident said a lot of shopping money is going to Long Island and Brooklyn stores when it could be used in the borough. He added areas outside of bustling Downtown Jamaica are ignored to a certain extent, and he is trying to work with stakeholders to bring resources to make the area more enticing to those who do not live in Southeast Queens.

One of Calixte’s goals with the QEDC is to establish a new Business Improvement District on Liberty Avenue. According to Calixte, the area has been “resilient” despite tough economic times, but he says even more opportunities are available for the area. Calixte said he hopes implementing a BID would increase awareness of Liberty Avenue and the

Ricardi Calixte shops it has to offer.

“The corridor is pretty healthy and vibrant and has the qualities that it takes to be a business improvement district,” he said.

Establishing a BID takes time and a lot of effort. The process takes two to three years and begins with surveying property owners on their needs and goals.

Next, the businesses hold promotions, campaigns and holiday events to attract

shoppers to the area.

One of Calixte’s other projects in Southeast Queens involves improving the vacant lot on Farmers Boulevard near Councilman Leroy Comrie’s (D-St. Albans) office. The lot has been vacant for years, but has the potential to be the host of many community events. The Farmers Boulevard Health Fair in September brought attention to the vacant lot. Participants had access to free blood pressure screenings, body mass indexing, nutritional information, massage therapy and free produce. Calixte said he hopes to hold other events at the site in the upcoming future.

With its potential growth in mind, Calixte is working with the Farmers Boulevard Development Corp. to improve the vacant site, which will be a two-part project. Calixte said he has received plenty of support from residents in the area thus far. He plans to reach out to the City for additional support to bring projects to fruition.

The Health Fair also addressed one of the other issues Calixte is working to change. “Southeast Queens is one of the areas that has the highest rates of health concerns,” he said. Many residents suffer from diabetes, hypertension, and other adverse health outcomes caused by poor

diet, which often is a result of a lack of food options besides fast food and other low-nutritional value meals.

“The residents are not quite happy with their options in terms of getting some fresh food and vegetables,” Calixte said.

The Pathmark in Laurelton is one of the few options for fresh produce in Southeast Queens.

Calixte said he has a better understanding of what the needs are of South Jamaica, as opposed to a more distant neighborhood where he has to ask around and look up data to figure out how to best serve the community. He said living in the area also helps him know who to talk to when beginning projects.

“We’re doing the best we can to see how we can help bring some more vitality to the corridors of Southeast Queens,” he said.

Reach Reporter Veronica Lewin at vlewin@queenspress.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 123.

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

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17

Queens Today SECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcements for your club or organization’s events at least TWO weeks in advance to “Queens Today” Editor, Queens Tribune, 150-50 14 Road, Whitestone NY 11357.

Send faxes to 357-9417, c/o Regina.

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

ALUMNI THOMAS JEFFERSON Sunday, January 15 class of 1961 will meet in Florida.

Tjhs1961@aol.com

DANCE LINE DANCING Saturdays 2-4 at Holy Family RC Parish Church, Msgr.

Mahoney Hall, 175-20 74 th Avenue, Fresh Meadows.

Light refreshments. Bring friends!

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.

DINNER GREEN GALA Tuesday, December 8 Alley Pond Environmental Center’s 2011 Green Gala will be held at Terrace on the Park. 2294000.

Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

RELIGIOUS STUMP THE RABBI Wednesday, November 30 Stump the Rabbi at 8 at the Jewish Center of Oak Hills, 50-35 Cloverdale Blvd. 6310100.

LUTHERAN CHURCH Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 14, 21 Advent Service at 7:30. December 3 Holiday Spaghetti dinner 5-7. 12 donation. Reservations 358-2744. Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 157-16 65 th Avenue, Flushing.

PARENTS FIT KIDS Saturday, November 26 Fit Kids Nutrition and Exercise Program in Flushing. 6617687.

FIT KIDS Tuesday, November 29 Fit Kids Nutrition and Exercise Program in Flushing. 6617687.

MEETINGS LEADD CLUB Thursday evenings and one Saturday afternoon. Recreation Socialization Program for Learning Disabled Adults. 18+, able to travel on public transportation.

ENTERTAINMENT LORCA FLAMENCO Through December 11 flamenco tribute at Thalia Spanish Theatre in Sunnyside.

729-3880.

MOVING IMAGE Through January 16 Jim Henson Screenings and Programs. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 th Avenue, Astoria. 777-6800. $15.

CHINESE OPERA Saturday, November 26 Ku nqu Societ y pr esents a Chinese Opera at the Flushing library at 2.

LIVE JAZZ Sundays through December 18 at 180-25 Linden Blvd., St. Albans from 5-9. $5 donation. 347-262-1169.

FLAMENCO CANTE Monday, November 28 Flamenco Cante and Guitar at 6:30 at the Corona library.

BINGO Tuesdays at 7:15 at American Mart yrs Church, church basement, 216-01 Union Tu r n p i k e , B a y s i d e . 4 6 4 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.

SCRABBLE Tuesdays at the Fresh Meadows library at 1.

CHESS Tu e s d ay s a t 4 : 3 0 a t t h e Rosedale library.

JAZZ KIDS Thursday, December 1 celebrate the winter holidays with the East Elmhurst Jazz Kids at 4 at the library.

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

CHRISTMAS CAROL Friday, December 2 at 11:30 with Once Upon A Time in Jamaica. $5. 8469182.

GAME DAY Fridays at 4:30 at the Woodhaven library.

BANANAGRAM/SCRABBLE Fridays at the Windsor Park library at 2.

GAME PLAYERS CLUB Fridays at 2 at the Hillcrest library.

BELLS OF ST. MARYS Saturday, December 3 the film “The Bells of Saint Mary’s will be shown at 1 at the Greater Astoria Historical Societ y, 35-20 Broadway, 4 th floor, LIC. Free.

INDO-PAK COALITION Saturday, December 3 Rudresh Mahanthappa and the Indo-Pak Coalition at F l u s h i n g To w n H a l l . 4 6 3 7700, ext. 222.

SUNDAY CONCERT Sunday, December 4 Middle Eastern music and dance at 3 at the Central library.

Arn310@aol.com information.

JEWISH VETS Sundays, November 27, December 25 Jewish War Veterans of the USA Lipsky/ Blum Post meet at the Garden Jewish Center. 4634742.

ST. ALBANS CIVIC Sunday, November 27 the St. Albans Civic Improvement Association meets at 1:30 at St. Albans Lutheran C h u r c h , 2 0 0 th S t r e e t a n d 1 1 9 th A v e n u e in the undercroft.

CAC Monday, November 28 Northern Queens Regional CAC meeting Langston Hughes library at 1.

GRANDPARENTS Monday, November 28 Grandparent Support Group meets at the Forest Hills library at 10:30.

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.

ADVANCED WRITERS Tuesdays Advanced Bayside Writers’ Group meets at 6:30 in the Terrace Diner, 212-97 26 th Avenue, upper level. Get feedback on your writing and develop your skills.

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.

FLUSHING CAMERA Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 21 Flushing Camera Club meets at 7:15 at Flushing Hospital. 4790643.

MEN’S GROUP Thursday, December 1 Queens Pride House Men’s Group from 7-9 for gay, bi, trans men.

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

PUBLIC SPEAKING Saturdays, December 3, 17 public speaking and effective communication 1012:15 at the Elmhurst Hospital Center Conference Room. 424-9754.

MISCELLANEOUS TOY DRIVE Through December 2 St. Mary’s Hospital Toy Drive.

Drop itemsMartin A. Gleason Funeral Homes in Flushing, Whitestone or Bayside.

MINI GOLF Through December 31 Rocket Park Mini-Golf 10-6 weekends, 2-5 Fridays at the Hall of Science. $6 adults, $5 children plus admission.

CHRISTMAS PARTY D e c e m b e r 3 1 1 4 th P o l i c e Precinct’s annual Christmas P a r t y fo r u n d e r p r i v i l e g e d children at Astoria World Manor. Donations accepted.

626-9327.

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS ONLINE FOR A JOB Saturday, November 26 searching online for a job at the LIC library. Register.

SIT & CROCHET Saturday, November 26 at the Cambria Heights library at 3. Bring supplies.

PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP Saturday, November 26 Becoming a US Citizen and Building Your Civic Knowledge at the Jackson Heights library at 2:30.

SEWING CLASSES Saturdays 11-3 at Maria Rose International Doll Museum in St. Albans. 2763454.

SCRABBLE CLUB Saturdays at 10 Count Basie Jr. HS, 132 nd Street and Guy R. Brewer Blvd. 886-5236.

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, November 28, December 5, 12, 19, 26 ma:ballroom dancing at the Forest Hills library at 6:30.

BRIDGE CLUB Mondays except holidays 12-4 at Pride of Judea in Douglaston. Lesson & play $10. Partners arranged. 4236200.

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

DRAWING CLASS Mondays National Art League in Douglaston. 3610628.

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

KNITTING CIRCLE Mondays at Alley Pond Environmental Center. Register 229-4000.

ADULT CHESS Mondays and Thursdays Queens Village library at 5:30.

INTRO INTERNET Monday, November 28 at the Central library. Register.

JEWELRY WORKSHOP Monday, November 28 glass-beaded jewelry workshop at the Woodside library.

Register.

COVER LETTER Monday, November 28 writing your best Cover Letter at the Central library at 6.

POLISH RESUME Monday, November 28 Polish Your Resume at the Central library. Register.

CREATE E-MAIL Tuesday, November 29 Create an e-mail account at the Central library. Register.

BASIC COMPUTER Tu e s d a y s , N o ve m b e r 2 9 , December 6, 13, 20, 27 at the Rosedale library at 10:30.

BASIC COMPUTER Tu e s d a y s , N o ve m b e r 2 9 , December 6, 13, 20, 27 at the Arverne library at 10:30.

COMPUTER BASICS Tuesday, November 29 at the Queens Village library.

Register.

BOLLYWOOD Tu e s d a y, N o ve m b e r 2 9

Bollywood dance instruction at the Bellerose library. Register.

PRACTICE LAB TIME Tu e s d a y s , N o ve m b e r 2 9 , December 6, 13, 20 computer practice lab time at the Far Rockaway library at 4.

OWN BUSINESS Every Tuesday Owning Your Own Business: The Nuts and Bolts of Getting Started 6:307:30 at the Central library.

LI CHESS CLUB Tuesdays LIC library at 4.

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

KNIT & CROCHET Tuesdays at the Windsor Park library at 2.

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.

COMPLETE DRAWING Wednesdays 1-4 Complete Drawing class at the National Art League. $25 per class.

516-223-7659.

TANGO CLASS Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 14, 21, 28 at Buenos Aires Tango in Forest Hills. 347-642-4705.

KNITTING CLUB Wednesdays at the Bayside library. Register.

INTRO COMPUTERS Wednesdays at 10 at the Central library. Register.

LANGUAGE CLASS Wednesdays Conversational Hebrew 2:30-3:30 and Torah Stories in Yiddish 3:304:30 at the Bayside Jewish Center. 352-7900.

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. 9691128.

POMANDERS Wednesday, November 30 and Saturday, December 3 “Pomanders: Decorating for the Holidays” at the Voelker Orth Museum in Flushing.

359-6227 to register.

COMPUTER TUTORIAL Thursdays, December 1, 15 computer tutorial at the Woodside library. Register.

COMPUTER BASICS Thursdays at the Glen Oaks librar y. Register.

BASIC COMPUTER Thursdays at the Rosedale library at 6.

QUILTING CL ASS 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 Flush-

ing library. Register.

COMPUTER CLASS Every Thursday Q u e e n s b o r o H i l l l i b r a r y.

Register.

KNIT & CROCHET Thursdays at the Fresh Meadows library at 6.

BEGIN COMPUTERS Fridays at the Poppenhusen library at 11.

BEGIN COMPUTERS Fridays at the Middle Village library. Register.

COMPUTER LAB Fridays computer practice lab time at the Arverne library at noon.

KNITTING CLUB Fridays at the Maspeth library at 10.

CHESS TUTORIAL Fridays at 4 at the Woodside library.

KNIT & CROCHET Fridays at the Fresh Meadows library at 10:30.

COMPUTER COURSE Every Friday at the Ozone Park library. Register.

JEWELRY WORKSHOP Saturday, December 3 glass-beaded jewelry workshop at the Steinway librar y.

Register.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS Saturday, December 3 holiday clay ornaments at the Lefferts library at 3:30.

JOB SEARCH Saturdays, December 3, 17 Job Search Boot Camp at 10:30 at the Central librar y.

PUBLIC SPEAKING Saturdays, December 3, 17 Learn to communicate effectively at Elmhurst Hospital.

646-436-7940.

FLEA MARKETS HOLIDAY SHOPPE Thursday, December 1 6:30-9:00. $5 admission with free cake and coffee. Friday, December 2 noon-8 and Saturday, December 3 noon to 7. Our Lady of Mercy, 70-01 Kessel Street, Forest Hills.

FLEA MARKET Sunday, December 4 Trinkets to Treasures flea market 11-3 at Astoria Center of Israel. 278-2680.

BAZAAR Sunday, December 4 Sisterhood of Bay Terrace Jewish Center holds their Annual Bazaar 10:30-3:00 at 13-00 209 th Street, Bayside.

THRIFT SHOP Tuesday, December 6 9-2 at the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills, 71-25 Main Street.

CHRISTMAS CRAFT Saturday, December 10 from 10-4 and Sunday, December 11 from 9-3:30 Christmas Craft Sale and Ethnic Polish Bake Sale at St. Josaphat’s, 35 th Avenue and 210 th Street, Bayside.

HANUKAH & BOOK Sunday, December 11 at Temple Tikvah, 3315 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park 1012:30.

BOUTIQUE SALE Sunday, December 11 Flushing Town Hall Holiday Boutique Sale at 1. 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing.

Queens Today YOUTH

HEALTH 428-6363.

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

BARIATRIC SUPPORT Wednesday, November 30 bariatric support group in Flushing. 670-2082.

RELAX & SELF HEALING Thursday, December 1 intro to relaxation and selfhealing at the Bellerose library at 3.

ZUMBA Thursday, December 1 Latin dance fitness program Ar verne library. Register.

OA Thursdays at the Howard Beach library at 10:30.

OA Fridays 6:30-8:30 at Unit y Center of Flushing, 42-11 1 5 5 th S t r e e t . S a t u r d a y s 10:30-noon at Resurrection Ascension, Feely Hall, 851 8 6 1 st R o a d , R e g o P a r k .

Beginners meeting except the last Friday of each month, which is a writing meeting.

CO-DEPENDENTS ANON. Fridays 10-11:45 at Resurrection Ascension Pastoral C e n t e r , 8 5 - 1 8 6 1 st R o a d , Rego Park. Women only.

TEENS BOY SCOUT TROOP 1 Men 12-17 who are interested in fun, friendship and adventure are invited to join Boy Scout Troop 1 Flushing/ Bayside every Friday 8-10 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 36-01 Bell Blvd.

ONLINE FOR A JOB Saturday, November 26 searching online for a job at the LIC library. Register CHESS CLUB Every Saturday at the Flushing library at 2.

LAPTOP USE Weekdays at 3 at the Laurelton library.

HOMEWORK HELP Weekdays LIC library at 3.

COLLEGE CLUB 2011 Monday, November 28 at 5 at the Pomonok library.

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

JEWELRY WORKSHOP Monday, November 28 glass-beaded jewelry workshop at the Woodside library.

Register.

COVER LETTERS Monday, November 28 writing your best Cover Letter at the Central library at 6.

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD Tuesday, November 29 at the Flushing library at 5.

CAREER & COLLEGE Tuesdays w : career and college exploration from 3-5 at the Central library.

LIC CHESS CLUB Tuesdays LIC library at 4.

BOOK BUDDIES Tuesdays at the Windsor Park library at 4.

GAME DAY Every Wednesday at the Howard Beach library at 4.

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

KNIT & CROCHET Wednesdays at the South Ozone Park library at 1.

KNITTING CLUB Wednesdays at the Bayside library. Register.

TEEN REC ROOM Wednesday, November 30 at the Steinway library at 4.

TEEN STUDY Thursday, December 1 at the Lefrak Cit y library at 4.

CAREER & COLLEGE Thursdays career and college exploration from 3-5 at the Central library.

TEEN THURSDAYS Every Thursday at the Bay Terrace library at 3.

CHESS CLUB Every Thursday 4-5:30 at the Douglaston/Little Neck library.

GIRL & BOY SCOUTS Fridays, December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at the Laurelton librar y. Register.

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

CHESS TUTORIAL Fridays at the Woodside library at 4.

GAME DAY Fridays at the Woodhaven library at 4:30.

GAME PLAYERS CLUB Every Friday at 4 at the Hillcrest library.

CRAFT Friday, December 2 card making craft at the Bellerose library. Register.

JOB SEARCH Saturdays, December 3, 17 Job Search Boot Camp at the Central library at 10:30.

JEWELRY WORKSHOP Saturday, December 3 glass-beaded jewelry workshop at the Steinway library.

Register.

JOB SEARCH Saturdays, December 3, 17 job search boot camp at the Central library at 10:30.

SINGLES CHANUKAH DANCE Sunday, December 25 at 8 at the Little Neck Jewish Center, 49-10 Little Neck Parkway. 516-487-0674.

THEATER RUMORS Through December 11 “Rumors” by Neil Simon will be presented at the Bayswater Jewish Center in Far Rockaway. $15-18. 516-2392632.

TWO PIECES OF… Through December 11 “ With Over Two Pieces of Luggage” will be presented at the Greek Cultural Center in Astoria. 726-7329.

CILL CAIS PLAYERS November 27 at 3 at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in Bayside. Cill Cais Players present one-act comedies. 347-0879.

LIBRARY EXPLORERS Saturdays, November 26, December 3 at the Central library. Register.

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.

CRAFT KIDS Monday, November 28 at the Flushing library at 3.

BOOST VOCABULARY Monday, November 28 B O O S T C o m m u n i t y Word Project at the Central library at 4:30.

BOOST MATH Monday, November 28 BOOST Math Activity at the McGoldrick library at 5.

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.

HOMEWORK HELP Mondays 3:30-5:00 teen tutors at the Bayside library.

MEDITATION Monday, November 28 meditation for children at the Briarwood library. Register.

GET GAMING Tuesday, November 29 at the Glendale library at 3.

ARTS & CRAFTS Tuesday, November 29 at the Auburndale library at 4.

MY THS & MONSTERS Tuesday, November 29 at the Elmhurst library at 4.

BOOK BUDDIES Tu e s d a y, N o ve m b e r 2 9 Windsor Park library at 4.

BOOST MATH Tu e s d a y, N o ve m b e r 2 9 BOOST Mixing in Math at the Central library at 4:30.

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Tuesday, November 29 at the Glen Oaks library at 11.

CHESS CLUB Tuesdays LIC library at 4.

RECYCLED Tuesday, November 29 at the Sunnyside librar y. Regis te r. Tu e s d ay, D e c e m b e r 13 at the Woodside lib ra r y. Re g i s t e r. Re c y c l e d plastic magnets, pins and barrettes.

GOING GREEN Tuesday, November 29 Going Green with LEAP at the Steinway library at 4.

TUESDAY CHESS Tuesdays at the Rosedale library at 4:30.

HAPPY HAPPY STORY TIME Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 14, 21, 28 at the LIC library at 10:30.

CRAFTS Wednesdays, November 30, December 7, 14, 21, 28 at the Steinway library at 11.

BOOST SCIENCE Wednesday, November 30 at the Central library at 4:30.

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

KNITTING Every Wednesdays at the Bayside library at 4.

KNIT & CROCHET Wednesdays at the South Ozone Park library at 1.

TOPS TRUMP CARD Every Wednesday tournament at the LIC library at 4.

GAME DAY Wednesdays at the

Poppenhusen library at 4.

BOOST HEALTH Wednesday, November 30 McGoldrick library at 5.

READ TO ME Wednesdays, November 30, December 14, 21, 28 Read to Me program at the Bay Terrace library at 10:30.

PUZZLE Wednesday, November 30 Picture Puzzle at the East Flushing library at 4.

ORIGAMI Wednesday, November 30 celebrate fall with origami at the Rego Park library. Register.

PEN PALS Wednesday, November 30 Windsor Park library at 4.

SCIENCE WONDER Thursday, December 1 Science Wonder Workshop at the Hillcrest library at 4:30.

BOY SCOUTS Thursdays Boy Scout Troop 138 meets at 7:30 in the basement at 192-15C 64 th Circle, Fresh Meadows. For those 11 and older. 4542391.

YOGA AND ME Fridays, December 2, 9 yoga for pre-schoolers at the Douglaston library. Register.

ARTS & CRAFTS Fridays at 2 at the Queens Village library.

ARTS & CRAFTS Fridays LIC library at 2.

GAME DAY Fridays at the Queens Village library at 2.

FLASH FRIDAYS Every Friday at 3 at the Ozone Park library.

GAME PLAYERS Every Friday Hillcrest library at 4.

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

GAME DAY Fridays at the Rochdale Village library at 4.

GAME TIME Fridays at the Windsor Park library at 4.

CHESS TUTORIAL Fridays at 4 Woodside library.

BOOST GAME DAY Fridays at the Central library at 4:30 and at 5 t the McGoldrick library.

CUB SCOUTS 351 Fridays at St. Nicholas of Tolentine school cafeteria, Parsons Blvd. and Union Turnpike. Boys in grades 15. 820-0015.

PRE-SCHOOL CRAFTS Friday, December 2 at the Sunnyside library. Register.

REMAKE IT Friday, December 2 learn how to recycle and remake trash into fun items at the Woodside library at 3.

SAFARI Saturday, December 3 Alley Pond Environmental Center Safari for those 6-11.

229-4000.

BASEBALL CLINIC Starting December 3 LP Fam’s Winter Baseball Clinic.

835-9252.

FURRY FRIENDS Sunday, December 4 Adventure Hour at Alley Pond Environmental Center featuring “Furry Friends.” 1836 months with parental participation. 229-4000.

$ EMPOWERMENT Mondays, November 28, December 5, 12, 19 Financial Empowerment shows you how to work with your credit, debt, budget and more. Long Island Cit y Lib ra r y. Re g i st e r 6 4 6 - 8 1 0 4050, ext. 112.

ARCHITECTURE Mondays, November 28, December 5 Architecture and You series at the Flushing library at 6:30.

HOWARD BEACH Monday, November 28 “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is discussed at 6:30 at the Howard Beach library.

GREEN BOOK CLUB Monday, November 28 “Honey bee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper” discussed at the Sunnyside library at 6:30.

SOCIAL WORKER Wednesday, November 30 “The Social Worker Is In” answers questions about long term care, benefits and more at the LIC library at 1.

FLUSHING BOOK Friday, December 2 “The Stranger.” Flushing Book Discussion Groups at 1 at the Flushing library.

FRESH MEADOWS Saturday, December 3 discussion and signing of “Fresh Meadows, New York” with authors Fred Cantor and Debra L. Davidson at 1 at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows.

SENIORS FREE LUNCH Saturdays, November 26, December 17 at Church of the Resurrection in Kew Gardens. 847-2649.

CLEARVIEW Monday, November 28 QiGong at 10:45. Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th Avenue, Bayside. 224-7888.

BASIC COMPUTERS Tu e s d a y, N o ve m b e r 2 9 computer classes for older adults at the Baisley Park library. Register.

CAREGIVERS Ever y Tuesday Caregivers Support group at 3:30-4:30 at the Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 th HOWARD BEACH Wednesday, November 30 Metro Van 10-noon. Howard Beach Senior Center, 15645 84 th Street. 738-8100.

STARS Wednesday, November 30 Senior Theater Acting Repertory Hollis library at 10:30.

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 Fridays, December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Senior Theater Acting Repertory at the Queens Village library at 10:30. 7760529.

DANCE LESSONS Friday, December 2 free dance lessons at the Pomonok Center. 591-3377.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 19

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.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS 7 days a week. 962-6244.

MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS Sundays 7-8:30 at Zion Episcopal Church, 143-01 Northern Blvd., entrance on 44 th Avenue, room 5, Little Neck.

WAITANKUNG Sundays at 2. Waitankung is a great total-body workout.

Join these ancient Chinese exercise classes in the Flushing Hospital/Medical Center auditorium on 45 th Avenue between Parsons and Burling. Free. Jimmy 7-10pm 347-2156 information.

MASSAGE THERAPY Monday, November 28 massage therapy and reflexology at NYHQ. 670-1695.

ZUMBA Monday, November 28 Latin dance fitness class at the Rosedale librar y. Register.

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

670-1695.

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.

RECOVERY INT’L Mondays at 5:45 and Thursdays at 3:30 Recovery Int’l is a support group for anxiet y, fear, depression at the Forest Hills library. 241-2220.

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.

MASSAGE THERAPY Wednesday, November 30 at NYHQ in Flushing. 6701695.

STRESS MANAGEMENT Wednesday, November 30 at the Cardiac Health Center in Fresh Meadows. 6701695.

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.

TALKS

People The New York Lottery announced the names of area Lottery players who claimed a winning ticket from one of the Lottery’s live drawings Nov. 6-12. The following winners each received a cash prize valued at $10,000 or more.

Oliur Chowdhury of Forest Hills won $10,000 on the Powerball drawing of Nov. 2. Chowdhury’s winning ticket was purchased at the Broadway Mini Market Deli at 403 Broadway in Brooklyn.

Cristina Vlonga of Jackson Heights won $10,000 on the Powerball drawing of Nov. 5. Vlonga’s winning ticket was purchased at the I & Y News And Candy at 74-19a Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights.

Yeung Park of Flushing won $10,003 on the Powerball drawing of Oct. 29.

Park’s winning ticket was purchased at the Great Jade Deli & Grocery at 146-02 34th Ave. in Flushing.

Mary Ybanez of Queens Village won $10,000 on the Mega Millions drawing of Nov. 8. Ybanez’s winning ticket was purchased at the Village Deli at 212-02 Hillside Ave. in Queens Village.

Anthony Lucas of Hollis won $25,000 on the Win 4 drawing of Nov. 11. Lucas’s winning ticket was purchased at the Guru Hari Stationers at 165-84 Baisley Blvd. in Jamaica.

Justin Kim of Bayside and Danny Choi of Rockaway Park, enrolled at Binghamton University, State University of New York, recently received Charles

M. Kim ‘98 Asian Student Scholarships.

These scholarships are awarded to students of Asian descent who are residents of New York State and who demonstrate academic merit.

Cinthia C. Martinez of Inwood, enrolled at Binghamton University, State University of New York, recently received Marjorie B. Turnbull Spanish Language and Culture Scholarships.

These scholarships are awarded to students who have been accepted into the study abroad program. These recipients are selected on their appropriate Spanish language proficiency and their interest in cultural exploration and understanding of Spanish speaking countries.

Major General Patrick A. Murphy, The Adjutant General for the State of New York, announces the promotion of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their capabilities for additional responsibility and leadership.

Peter Vazquez from South Ozone Park, serving with the 107th Military Police Company is promoted to the rank of Pvt. 1st Class Christopher Zayasbazan from South Ozone Park, serving with the Operations Company, 42nd Infantry Division is promoted to the rank of Pvt. Mahendranauth Dabichan from Jamaica, serving with the 1427th Transportation Company is promoted to the

rank of Sgt. 1st Class Audrey Alexispeacock from Jamaica, serving with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion is promoted to the rank of Pvt. Tanesha Orridge from Jamaica, serving with the 14th Finance Detachment is promoted to the rank of Sgt. Tyesha Green from Jamaica, serving with the 222d Chemical Company is promoted to the rank of Pvt. 1st Class James Jeanbaptiste from Arverne, serving with the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1-258th Field Artillery is promoted to the rank of 1st Lt. Brian Martin from Far Rockaway, serving with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-108th Infantry is promoted to the rank of Pvt. 1st Class Army National Guard promotions are based on overall performance, attitude, leadership ability, and development potential.

These promotions additionally recognize the best qualified Soldiers and attract and retain the highest caliber Citizen Soldiers for a career in the New York Army National Guard.

For more information about the New York Army National Guard, visit dmna.ny.gov or 1800goguard.com.

Connie Calix of Queens Village will appear in SUNY Delhi’s College Players fall production, “The Nerd” at 7 p.m.

Nov. 11 and 12 in The Okun Theatre on

the SUNY Delhi campus.

Cast and crew members include SUNY Delhi students from a wide variety of programs. Calix is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business and technology management.

SUNY Delhi is a member of the State University of New York, the largest public higher education system in the U.S. Delhi’s seamless approach to education includes over 40 academic programs, and allows students to obtain one-year certificates and two-year associate’s degrees.

Students may also pursue a four-year degree in select programs at Delhi. For more information, visit delhi.edu.

The New York Lottery announced Michael Coleman of Jamaica won $30,000 on the Lottery’s Triple Payout instant game. Coleman’s winning ticket was purchased at the Myrtle Avenue Shop at 5402 Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood.

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.

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Heating Oil

Gloria Tse Kew Gardens Age: 30 Height: 5’ 7" Weight: 123 lbs Stats: 34-24-36

Glorious Gloria

Models Of Queens

Gloria Tse wasn’t always the camera’s focus.

From what began as a career in make-up design, the Kew Gardens gem has catapulted herself into the spotlight and is now making a name in the world of modeling.

Nearly a year ago, after dolling up another model with makeup at a photo shoot, the cameraman couldn’t help but take notice of Gloria, and asked her if he could turn his lens on her. From that point on, Gloria can’t say she’s had enough.

Although the borough beauty is obviously a natural in front of the camera, she considers a career in modeling as a secondary option in her grand scheme.

“I can’t say this is what I want to do as a career,” said Gloria, who was recently featured in a music video with the likes of RedOne, co-producer of Lady Gaga hits “Poker Face” and “Just Dance.”

“But it’s definitely my plan B.” Today she is molding a career around all facets of modeling and grabbing the industry by the marbles. As an events organizer and co-owner of Streak Fashion, she recently coordinated her first fashion show, planned for Dec 8 at the Streak Fashion Gallery in Manhattan.

Gloria was excited about the event’s success and expects it to kick off a flurry of shows that will continue to showcase not only her talents as a make-up artist but also as a host. As a woman of many talents, she also isn’t afraid

Nature provided a beautiful backdrop for Batman on our bridge.

Curses Batman!

Last weekend, Gotham’s “Dark Knight” became Queens’ worst nightmare.

Holding borough commuters hostage from Queens Plaza, all the way down both Northern and Queens Boulevards, the filming of the franchise’s new film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” on the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, left motorists fuming.

Upset over the hero’s hijinx, many commuters claimed they were

stuck in traffic for hours as the filming hijacked the bridge’s upper level for over two days.

Curses Batman!

Spider-Man would never leave his hood hangin’ like that. The web-slinging hometown hero of Queens has a long history of helping out his neighbors in a bindespecially when they’re trying to get across that bridge.

Just see Spiderman’s first film.

It’s well documented!

Coffee Cash

to offer her services over to those trying to break into the biz.

“I’m pretty much helping new fashion designers who have recently graduated and don’t have money,” Gloria said. “Everyone is new to something in life and it’s great to be a part of that growth.”

Gloria’s down to earth style is complimented by where she

hangs out.

“On the weekends you can find me taking photographs in the Queens Botanical Garden or even in a museum,” Gloria said. “I’m more of an artsy girl; I don’t go clubbing so much anymore.”

For more information about Gloria’s upcoming fashion event go to StreakFashion.com.

America may run on Dunkin’, but two Romanian students apparently steal on Dunkin’.

The students, both here on journalism visas, pleaded guilty to using doctored Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards encoded with stolen bank account information to steal money out of a Chase Bank ATM in Hollis. As it turns out, when the duo was busted, they had doctored 66 Dunkin’ Donuts cards and had stolen more than $17,700.

In response to the plea, DA Richard Brown suggested the journalism students should have just bought coffee with the cards instead of stealing the money that landed them three years in prison.

Marty’s Where?

Page 22 PRESS of Southeast Queens Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011

He said when it comes to food, county lines don’t exist, but one has to wonder what the “Brooklyn boychik” Marty Markowitz was doing at the Fairway opening in Douglaston last week. Everyone’s favorite third term mayor was there, but he at least has dominion over five boroughs. Why Marty?

Sure, there’s a Fairway in Brooklyn, and yes, Brooklyn and Queens share a land mass. But that still doesn’t explain why

Marty, who would be a crack-up as a 2013 mayoral candidate, braved the harrowing BrooklynQueens Expressway to open a Fairway that’s not in his domain.

It’s not as if Brooklyn has a shortage of free food opportunities or massive supermarkets with specialty foods.

Perhaps Marty just wanted to take a break from the borough of kings or perhaps, for him, it’s the start of something big.

Good Going, Bruce Bruce Bendell, owner of Major Automotive Group and a ubiquitous board member throughout Queens, has been nominated as Dealer of the Year in a competition run by TIME Mag and the National Automobile Dealers Assoc.

Bendell will represent New York State and will be honored at the 95th annual NADA Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas Feb. 4.

The award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients are among the nation’s most successful auto dealers who must also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.

The $10,000 prize that goes to the winner will be donated to a charity of his choice, which may be a dubious honor in Bendell’s case, because with the variety of non-profit groups he helps – including the LIC YMCA, the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the LIC Business Development Corp., the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, Unisphere, Inc., New York Hospital Queens, the LIC Lions Club – picking one might be tough.

We hope for everyone’s sake you have to wrestle with that decision; good luck, Bruce.

Brooklyn’s BP visits Queens

Thurgood Marshall, Shirley Huntley, Barack Obama and the artists.

Confidentially, New York . . .

Statuesque When your kids draw a picture, you put it on that household art gallery we all know and love, the refrigerator. It doesn’t matter how well it was done, it’s the love that goes into it that really makes it worthy of the kitchen gallery.

Well, some kids at PS 80 – the Thurgood Marshall Magnet School in Rochdale – were working on papier mache life-size replicas of their school’s eponymous leader and President Barack Obama; they decided, out of love and admiration, to include a statue of Sen. Shirley Huntley.

For now, the statue of Huntley will stand near the office of District 28 Superintendent, through Dec. 23. Plans for it afterward are still unclear.

We suggest Shirley buy a bigger fridge. This one’s a keeper.

What’s Up SATURDAY, Nov. 26 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.

day at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217 St., (718) 776-6800.

National Action Network Meeting Join the Queens Chapter of the National Action Network for their monthly meeting. The guest speaker for the meeting will be the Honorable Robert Jackson, Chair of Education Committee for the New York City Council. Councilman Jackson will discuss the education school budget for the city. For additional information, visit nationalactionnetwork.net or contact Lois Menyweather at (646) 2841689 or lmenyweather@gmail.com.

This free event will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 111-10 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m.

Winter Basketball Program

Write Your Best Cover Letter

The Lincoln Park Basketball Association is offering a Fall/Winter Basketball Clinic for children ages 8-16 on Saturdays from Oct. 22 through Jan. 28. The $50 registration fee includes insurance, weekly training and a T-shirt. Full payment must be made by Nov. 19, no exceptions. For more information, contact (347) 234-6833 or (718) 682-6938.

This event will be held at the Queens Transition Center, located at 142-10 Linden Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Are you ready to apply for specific jobs and need to know how to craft the perfect cover letter? Participants will learn how to set up a cover letter, how to avoid common errors, how resumes and cover letters work together in an application, tips for making your cover letter stronger and how to send a cover letter by email.

This free event will be held at Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6 p.m.

Polish Your Resume Save Our Community Rally Residents of Southeast Queens have had enough. Their homes are being destroyed from constant flooding every time it rains. Water is corroding the foundation of their homes due to the high water table.

It is costing homeowners and businesses thousands of dollars each year for pumps and the electricity for running pumps to pump water out of their basements nonstop. Join the fight for environmental justice.

This free event will be held at Station No. 6, 108th Avenue and 165th Place, at 10 a.m.

Annual Poetry Slam

SUNDAY, NOV. 27 Open Mic The UHURU Movement is pleased to present “Free The Mic,” an open mic extravaganza. Tickets can be purchased for $7.

This event will be held at Afrikan Poetry Theatre, 176-03 Jamaica Ave., at 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY, NOV. 28 Adult Chess Club Practice your chess skills weekly, on Monday and Thursday evenings.

The event is held at 6 p.m. every Mon-

TUESDAY, NOV. 29 Welcome to Email In this single-session workshop, customers will learn how to set up their own email account. Must possess basic mouse and keyboarding skills. Preregistration is required in person at the Cyber Center Desk. For details, please call (718) 9900769.

This free event will be held at Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6 p.m.

Own Your Own Business Learn how to develop your idea into a business plan. Participants will learn how to create demand for your product or service, set goals and objectives, budgeting and timelines, and identifying resources and networks. To register, call (718) 9905102.

This free event will be held at Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30 Senior Theater Join the Senior Theater Acting Repertory to perform theatrical works at the library with a great group of people. For more information, call (718) 465-7355.

This free event will be held at the Hollis Library, 202-05 Hillside Ave., at 10:30 a.m.

Jazzy singer-songwriter Somi will win you over with her warm smile and quiet, soulful voice that’s infused with the African spirit. The daughter of Rwandese and Ugandan parents, this Illinois-born chanteuse writes poetic lyrics shrouded in intimacy, and laced with Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and Rutoro. Her deep, honeyed voice intones what she calls “holistic new African soul”—a fusion of Jazz, funk, soul, gospel, and African music. Creating music that pulsates with the vitality of different nations, Somi shares a new musical tradition of trans-nationalism. RSVP Required; call (718) 618-6170.

This free event will be held at Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 King Manor Museum Concert King Manor Museum is pleased to present another in its series of 2011 concerts on historic musical instruments. This evening’s performance will feature a fortepiano performance. Solo piano works for an English square piano will be performed by Dongsok Shin on the King family fortepiano. Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for the general public.

This free event will be held at King Manor Museum, 153 Street at Jamaica Avenue, at 6 p.m.

Job Club 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 Ethan Chazin, Job Coach, at (718) 739-2060, Ext. 18 or echazin67@gmail.com.

This free event will be held at the Jamaica Neighborhood Center - 161-06 89th Ave. Services are available Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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.

Group Sessions Clergy United for Community Empowerment, Inc. Group Sessions are located at 89-31 161st St., 10th Floor, Jamaica, for the community on various topics such as Domestic Violence, Mental Health, Substance Abuse intervention, Decision Making, Condom Use, High Risk Behaviors leading to HIV, and self – esteem awareness. All group sessions offer light snacks and beverages. Group sessions are open to the public.

Round-Trip Metro Card reimbursement is available at the end of each completed session. For further information call (718) 297-0720. All services are free. Please call for next group date.

Infant Mortality Clergy United for Community Empowerment’s Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative program provides the following services free of charge: case management services, parent skills building, crib care, breast feeding education, health education, nutritional information/education, referral for HIV testing, confidential one-on-one counseling, workshops, and women support groups. IMRI provides referrals for Food stamps, GED, GYN, Emergency Baby Formula (qualifications required) and more. Call (718) 297-0720.

Located at 89-31 161 St., 10th floor, Jamaica. Services are available Tue.-Thurs.

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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.

Merrick Flea Market A flea market has opened at 221-02 Merrick Blvd. On sale are a wide range of items, including household items, jewelry and clothing.

The market is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

CPR Class Learn to protect yourself and others at Heron Care with a CPR class that includes a certification from the American Heart Association.

Please call (718) 291-8788 for more details. Heron is located at 168-30 89th Ave., Jamaica.

Nov. 25 - Dec. 1, 2011 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 23

Calling all poets, actors, rappers, and listeners! The African Poetry Theater is pleased to present its annual poetry slam.

Performance time limit is 5 minutes. This slam features cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Hosted by Byron Perry.

Tickets are $10 in advance. Registration and advanced payment is required. Space is limited. For more information, call (718) 523-3312.

This event will be held at Afrikan Poetry Theatre, 176-03 Jamaica Ave., at 8 p.m.

Bring a copy of your resume and volunteers will guide you through editing and producing a professional quality resume using Cyber Center computers. Must have keyboard and mouse experience. Preregistration in the Job Information Center is required.

This free event will be held at Queensborough Public Library’s Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 Carnegie Hall Concert

STOP KILLING GOOD JOBS!

The Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx could be home to 2,000 jobs. Instead it sits empty because special interests wanted to force private businesses to pay inflated wages.

Now they’re at it again!

Kingsbridge Armory Today

Tell your City Councilmember to say “NO” to wage mandates.

For more info go to: puttingnewyorkerstowork.org

Paid for by Putting New Yorkers To Work