Volume 15 Issue No. 39 Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSPRESS.COM

PRES

S Ph

oto

by Jo

rdan

Gib

bons

Portraits of the culture of the Caribbean are

featured in a new exhibit at York

College. By Jordan Gibbons …

Page 8.

Portraits of the culture of the Caribbean are

featured in a new exhibit at York

College. By Jordan Gibbons …

Page 8.

CULTURE ON DISPLAY

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

News BriefsMalcolm Smith Thanks His Constituents

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) released a statement this week, thanking his community and congratulating his opponent in the Primary election.

Smith thanked God, his family and his constituents for granting him 14 years to represent his community. He also thanked his staff in the Sen-ate and the campaign for their com-mitment to improving the lives of the people of Southeast Queens, the City and the State.

He wished State Sen.-Elect Leroy Comrie good luck and best wishes.

Missing Persons Walk Of Hope

The LaMont Dottin Foundation is having their first Queens Walk of Hope on Saturday to bring aware-ness to missing persons and the need to change current laws.

Arnita Fowler founded LaMont Dottin and has been fighting to change the laws that prevented her from reporting her son missing after he disappeared on Oct. 16, 1995.

He was a student at Queens Col-lege and was living with his grand-mother in St. Albans at the time when he went to the post office and was never seen again. Fowler was serving in the Air Force and sta-tioned in California at the time. She flew home and fought for a month to file a missing persons report for her son, who was over the age of 18, with the NYPD. She said she was told “it’s not unusual for black men to walk away from home.”

Fowler spent the next four years searching for her son by posting miss-ing person flyers, constantly calling the NYPD and even hired a private detective. She finally discovered that her son had been found six days after she first tried to report him missing. His body had been found in the East River on Oct. 24, 1995 but never identified. The FBI had notified the NYPD of a finger print name match in December 1995, but the NYPD never notified the family of his death or investigated his disappearance. He was buried in a pauper’s grave in Potter’s Field.

The current laws prevent the im-mediate filing of a missing persons report with the NYPD if the person is between the ages of 18 and 64.

Assemblyman William Scarbor-ough and State Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park) have pro-posed legislation to make the process of reporting a missing person less ominous for families. The LaMont

Dottin’s Law relates to reporting du-ties with respect to missing children and adults, establishes uniform stan-dards for searching for missing per-sons, expands state databanks to ap-proach missing children and adults and requires police departments to establish a trained missing person specialist.

To help spread awareness, join the walk from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rufus King Park, located at 89th Av-enue, Jamaica. The walk will end at Blanche Memorial Church, located at 109-74 Sutphin Blvd.

York College Hosts The Hoarde

Vissi Dance Theater is bring-ing “The Hoarde,” a visceral story about love, betrayal, vengeance and redemption to the newly renamed Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center at York College for its season opener.

Lead by Artisitic Director Courtney Ffrench, “The Hoarde” brings an up-dated performance to Downtown Ja-maica’s Arts & Cultural District, after a critically acclaimed tour in Japan.

The center is located at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica.

The performance will be held on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.

Tickets for “The Hoarde” can be purchased at the York Box Office or by calling (718) 262-2840.

Local Physician Pleads Guilty To Fraud

District Attorney Richard Brown announced last week that a South Richmond Hill physician pleaded guilty to defrauding insurance com-panies and the State Worker’s Com-pensation Board by fraudulently billing for medical tests never per-formed.

Dr. Rajpaul Singh, who operated Liberty Advance Medical P.C. at 133-13 Liberty Ave. until 2011, has been ordered to pay $65,000 in res-titution.

“In carrying out his scheme, the defendant falsified medical tests by recycling old patient test results, which he then used to cheat insur-nace companies of tens of thousands of dollars,” Brown said. “This case makes clear that law enforcement’s fight against insurance fraud is ongo-ing and that those who cheat will be held accountable.”

Singh pleaded guilty to first-degree falsifying business records and was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge, with one of the conditions being that he makes his restitution payments.

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

Photos by Jordan Gibbons

“We have to do something, we have to get better. We need a resolution, quickly.”

-Adrienne Adams, chairperson,

Community Board 12

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

At a press conference on Monday, Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) asked the Taxi & Limousine Commission to place a moratorium on commuter van applications until they can provide safe enforcement and oversight.

His request was in response to the 22-year-old woman who is in critical condition after jumping from a com-muter van that was fleeing from the NYPD on Sept. 14. Miller said that she awoke from a coma on Saturday.

“It got less attention because inci-dents such as this are not an anom-aly,” Miller said. “This community

no longer stands for such behavior on our streets. It’s apparent that the Taxi & Limousine Commission, which oversees the commuter van industry, and even the MTA, have ignored the needs for safe, reliable transportation service here in South-east Queens.”

Miller said that there is an abun-dance of illegal “dollar” vans in the community, but even vans authorized by the TLC often operate illegally by soliciting, picking up or discharging passengers outside of their designat-ed areas and along bus routes, which is a violation of City law.

NYC Open Data shows that there are 344 authorized vans, with only 301 licensed drivers City-wide. But, Miller said there are probably that many vans driving on Ar-cher Avenue alone on a daily basis.

Licensed com-muter vans have TLC license plates and a round TLC sticker, to identify a licensed driver and vehicle. Legitimate drivers need to have the right insurance and must be drug tested, fin-gerprinted and screened for a good DMV and criminal record.

Miller said that there are only about 130 TLC inspectors and they place an emphasis on Manhattan and the airports, which allows countless illegal drivers to drive recklessly and illegally through Southeast Queens.

Adrienne Adams, chairperson for Community Board 12, said the issue of dangerous commuter vans has come up at CB meetings too many times, but they are still waiting for a solution.

“Typically, we see them parked doubly, triply in the bus stops,” she

said. “We have to do something, we have to get better. We need a resolu-tion, quickly.”

Rosedale resident Jackie Camp-bell uses the buses for her daily two-hour commute to Manhattan, but she refuses to use the commuter vans, which could shorten her trip, because she said there are fights, ac-cidents and too many of them are not licensed.

“I prefer not to take them because they are not safe,” she said. “Even when they’re licensed, they’re not monitored.”

Another issue Miller addressed was a lack of accessibility for dis-abled and elderly commuters.

Hollis resident Dustin Jones, a board member at Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, said that acces-sibility is not some-thing you can call a privilege.

“Accessibility is a right,” Jones said. “Everybody has a right to use trans-portation services in their community. Commuter vans are no exception.”

Jones was in an accident several years ago and is now restricted to a wheelchair. Since then, he said he has realized that disabled citizens are often ignored.

The commuter vans do not have access for disabled people, so Jones is aware that his transportation op-tions are limited to buses.

“I shouldn’t have to sit there and settle for less,” he said. “The TLC needs to step it up and they need to do the right thing.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718) 357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Miller Requests Moratorium On Dollar Van Apps

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

The St. Albans Cycle of Life hous-ing development that received back-lash from the community over the summer was approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals on Tuesday.

The proposal features a 67-unit af-fordable housing facility on Farmers Boulevard, between 118th and 119th Avenues.

The Dept. of Buildings rejected the original proposal, which caused the developer, Trinity Associates, to seek three variances from the BSA.

The variances requested were chang-ing the floor area ratio and zoning from a R3A contextual district, the height of the five-story building and limiting the on-site parking to 23 spaces.

Sharon Johnson, a member of the St. Albans Civic Association, has been against the size of the project since the community was first in-formed about the plans.

“I’m devastated,” she said after she found out about the BSA deci-sion. “We plan on seeing what our other options are.”

According to the plans, there will be 33 one-bedroom units and 34 two-bedroom units available for rent.

John Saraceno, president of Trin-ity Associates, said that the amount of units is necessary in order to get the grants and financial sources to allow the apartments to stay at an af-fordable rental rate.

“I think the community will see the value as time goes on,” he said. “I think they will come around once they realize the benefits of the af-fordable apartments.”

Saraceno said the next step Trin-ity would like to take is to reach out to the community.

He said a percentage of the con-tractors are going to be minority- and women-based contractors in the area.

“It’s going to create jobs for con-struction workers,” he said. “There are also going to be jobs for manage-ment personnel that we need to run the facility.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718) 357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

BSA Approves St. Albans Housing Variances

Councilman I. Daneek Miller held the press conference to call upon the TLC to act quickly.

Commuter vans at the Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue bus stops block off buses trying to pick up commuters, residents say.

Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

Phot

o by

Jord

an G

ibbo

ns

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

To follow up on a meeting in June, the offices of Borough President Me-linda Katz and Mayor Bill de Blasio are planning another community fo-rum to gather ideas on how to shape the future of Jamaica.

Melva Miller, director of econom-ic development for Katz’s office, at-tended a Community Board 12 meet-ing last week to notify residents of ongoing plans to move forward with the goal of creating an action plan.

The next step to creating a real-istic and achievable plan will be on Saturday Nov. 22, to make it more convenient for residents and elected officials who could not attend the first meeting.

“This initiative was launched by the new administrations of the Mayor and the Borough President to come up with a community-based, neigh-borhood-based development initia-tive that’s a bottom up approach to developing communities,” Miller said. “This is the first time I can honestly say that multiple branches of City government have been… ac-tively participating in this initiative. We have weekly phone calls.”

The main area where they are look-ing to study is bordered by Union Turnpike to the north, Linden Bou-

levard to the south, the Van Wyck Expressway to the west and Farmers Boulevard to the east.

Miller said they have weekly and sometimes daily meetings with the Dept. of City Plan-ning. She also said that one group that was not represented at the June meeting was elected of-ficials in the area, so they have been doing ad-ditional outreach during the summer to get them involved.

They also have focus group meet-ings planned for the next few weeks. There will be two held at City Hall for affordable housing and fore-closures. They are partnering with Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) for a meeting on work force and healthcare.

There will also be an art and cul-ture roundtable to cultivate artists, a youth development roundtable for 16-to-18-year-olds and a young profes-sionals roundtable for ages 19 to 26.

“One of the concerns we heard was, ‘how do we cultivate an environ-ment for young professionals to stay in Jamaica?’” Miller said. “So, we’re really focusing on additional out-

reach throughout the summer into the fall.”

Then, they want to come up with possible projects and initiatives that are realistic and attainable.

“In November… we’re going to get input on how to shape these projects and initiatives so they can meet the needs of the community,” she said. “After that, we will take that feed-back back, we will refine it and our hope is to come up with an action plan to be released by the beginning of next year for implementation into the community.”

Steven Everett, City Planning’s representative for Community Boards 8 and 12, said that other of-

fices that are actively involved in the process are the Economic De-velopment Corpora-tion, Small Business Services, the Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development, the Mayor’s Community Af-fairs Unit and the Dept. of Transportation.

“It really is a broad-based interagency ef-fort,” Everett said. “This is a community-driven project and we want to see your support and

that will help as we flesh out this Ja-maica action plan.”

They are still looking for the right location for the meeting and Miller also said that they are willing to lis-ten to ideas that are located outside the immediate study area.

“We need to hear from you about issues that we might not know about,” Miller said. “Please help us. Please reach out to me and we will make sure that your input and your ideas are incorporated in this process.”

To reach Miller, email her at mmiller@queensbp.org.

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Moving Towards An Action Plan For Jamaica

Melva Miller and Stephen Everett updated residents on upcoming meetings to develop the Greater Jamaica area.

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 5

Phot

o by

Jack

ie S

traw

brid

ge

BY JACKIE STRAWBRIDGE

It was not a Successful meeting.As mandated by State law, the

Dept. of Education held a public hearing Wednesday night regard-ing new Success Academy charter schools proposed for Queens. The meeting was held at PS/IS 128 in Middle Village and hosted by Com-munity Education Council 24.

Three new Success Academy char-ters are proposed for Districts 24, 28 and 30, which span western and cen-tral Queens.

Speakers at the hearing, almost all of whom had backgrounds in education as teachers, administra-tors or PTA leaders, overwhelmingly expressed frustration and disappoint-ment with the lack of active represen-tation from Success Academy.

A Success Academy representa-tive took notes at the hearing, but did not present plans for the new schools or answer questions.

“Most people think that this hear-ing is a sham,” Deborah Alexander, a member of CEC 30, said.

“What they’re going to say is that they did public outreach. This is pub-lic outreach,” Alexander continued.

CEC 24 vice president Peter Ver-cessi said that for him, the evening

felt like an episode of “Seinfeld.”

“It’s a show about nothing,” Vercessi said. “We’re commenting on something we know noth-ing about.”

“The purpose of this meeting is to gather com-ments from the commu-nity...There is significant information available about SA. This is one of many hearings,” Success Academy public affairs director Ann Powell said.

Councilman and Education Com-mittee chair Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) also spoke at the meeting, reiterating some concerns he raised earlier this summer when the Education Committee asked the SUNY Board of Trustees to halt au-thorization of new charter schools.

These concerns included admis-sions practices and attrition at Success Academy schools and profits earned by charter CEO Eva Moskowitz.

Absent dialogue with Success Academy, attendees took the micro-phone to share their mostly unani-mous worries about the three new schools.

Disappointed Crowd At Success Academy Hearing

CEC 24 hosted a public hearing on new Success Academy charter school proposals in Districts 24, 28 and 30.

In the arresting timbre of seasoned classroom teachers, many described their experiences with overcrowding and concerns about bringing Success Academy into overburdened neigh-borhoods.

“It’s like walking through Grand Central Station in my building,” one elementary school teacher said.

UFT District 24 representative Rosemary Parker said, “we have trail-ers that are falling apart. We have an-nexes on top of annexes…And then now you want to try and co-locate in one of our schools? Because there’s no space.”

Success Academy has not an-nounced where they plan to put the

new charters. A pro-posal to share space with a public school would require another public hearing, ac-cording to the Dept. of Education.

Throughout the hearing, many speak-ers stated that they do not universally oppose charter schools, but instead take issue spe-cifically with the Suc-cess Academy network and their proposal.

One attendee relayed a positive experience with Success Academy. Maspeth resident Charlie Vavruska, whose teenage daughter attended el-ementary and middle school in D24, said he met several Harlem Success Academy families at a policy meet-ing.

The parents were pleased with the education their children were getting, and “[their children] all seemed like they enjoyed learning and wanted to go to school,” Vavruska said. “I think that’s something good.”

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstraw-bridge@queenstribune.com or @JN-Strawbridge.

Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS150-50 14th Road

Whitestone, NY 11357(voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417

email news@queenspress.comThe PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:Steven J. Ferrari

Contributing Editor:Marcia Moxam

ComrieProduction Manager: Shiek Mohamed

Reporters: Jordan Gibbons

Joe MarvilliLuis Gronda

Jackie Strawbridge

Art Dept:

Rhonda LeefoonLianne ProcanynKarissa Tirbeni

Maureen CoppolaAdvertising Director

Howard SwenglerMajor Accounts Manager

Shanie PersaudDirector Corporate

Accounts/Events

Advertising Executives Shari StronginKaryn Budhai

A Queens Tribune Publication

© Copyright 2014 Tribco, LLC

Michael Nussbaum Publisher

Ria McPhersonComptroller

Editorial Letters

A Personal PerspectiveBY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

Public Advocate Finds Nail-biter Signature Issue

Public Advocate Letitia James brought an important issue to light this week and it stands to protect the public from harm right along with employees in that industry.

An investigation by James’ office found that there is little regulation in the nail salon business and that customers are at risk of infection and dangers from chemicals in the products used to create those elegant digits we love so much. The investigation also revealed that not only are customers’ health at risk, but that the technicians’ health are also at risk due to the poorly ventilated work rooms.

Nail salon workers spend untold hours working and breathing in the potentially toxic fumes of their trade each day. They are mostly immigrants, many brand new to the country and speaking very little English. Most have limited employment options and this unregulated industry leaves them unprotected by

City/State health board regu-lations.

Customers are also at risk of infection from unsterilized instruments, toxic chemicals applied to hands and nails, and indeed, the same fumes the work-ers are inhaling from the toxic products. Kudos to Ms. James for taking on this issue!

This issue was a perfect storm and our advocate has put the spotlight on it with the goal of fixing the problem, not cause trouble for small business own-ers and their employees.

So how did we manage to go unprotected for so long with this beauty routine?

According to James, there are more than 5,000 nails salons State-wide and we have only 27 inspectors in the entire state. Add to that, the James report says that of 10,000 chemicals in nail products, only 11 percent have been tested.

That is an alarming figure. This lack of oversight leaves both the public and the workers who serve them at risk for seri-ous health consequences.

I usually enter these salons for my eyebrows only, but as someone with a sensitive

lower respiratory system, I sometimes couldn’t even stay long enough for that brief eyebrow waxing due to the fumes. I stopped going a few years ago when my husband got me a really great kit with a 5X magnifier. The advocate’s investigation and actions in progress is welcome news.

According to the report, some nail salon chemicals are so dan-gerous that they have been sus-pected of being cancer-causing and could even have a negative impact on fetuses and reproduc-tive health. The State has failed us in this matter. Nail salons are liberally scattered throughout my community and are very liberally supported by our women. To now know that both they, and the women – and men – who wait on them have been at serious risk is very alarming.

And this is why there is a public advocate. It is unfortu-nate that Michael Bloomberg gutted that office when he became mayor 12 years ago. The expense of running a suc-cessful Public Advocate Office is one of necessity and should not be at the mercy of anyone who thinks it is unnecessary. It

should be equitably funded so it can be fully staffed to serve the public good. The Office of the Public Advocate is our official watch dog and no one is more doggedly determined than James is.

During his four-year tenure, Bill de Blasio tried his best to make it work. His signature issue was fighting hospital closings; and James too, is committed to that issue. But she probably has personal ex-perience with nail salons.

Her strategy to advocate for both sides – the women and men, who frequent the salons and the unsuspecting workers, is admirably balanced. Those workers have no choice but to sit there all day six to seven days per week inhaling the harmful chemicals in poorly ventilated spaces. All workers deserve protection from harm-ful conditions in their places of employment and nail salon workers are no exception.

By bringing this into the open, James will have saved lives and health. She is doing her job and we are thankful for that.

Way to go, Tish!

A public hearing held earlier this week to discuss a proposal for three new Success Academy charter schools has rightfully raised the ire of education advocates in the Borough, especially since the creation of the new schools would not ease the contin-uously-burgeoning issue of overcrowding in Queens schools.

The part of the proposal that raises the most concerns for teachers and parents is the plan to co-locate these charter schools in existing educational institutions, as opposed to creating a new space for them.

Schools in Queens are already filled to the brim with students. Most schools in Queens are already suffering from problems tied to being over-capacity, not having enough seats for students, forcing them to hold classes in trailers outside the buildings. These are nothing close to optimum conditions for learning. It is part of the reason why we have heard such outcries over plans for co-locations in City schools over the last few years.

With so many issues surrounding the City’s educational system and testing procedures causing uproars with parents, it seems as though students are already at a disadvantage when it comes to learning. We should be working to eliminate these disadvantages, not add to them, to ensure that the next genera-tion is given the best education possible.

If the City hopes to introduce new educational institutions any-where – but especially here in Queens – these institutions must be planned to help reduce the overcrowding. Without addressing these issues, adding new schools to the Borough does nothing but create more problems for students.

Overcrowding Concerns Need To Be Addressed To The Editor:

That full page of malarkey from the “removed” Queens Public Library trustees appears to be an advertisement (paid by the QPL?). It not only castigates Queens BP Melinda Katz for bringing much needed reforms to the institution but also insinuates that “Freedom of Thought” will be lost at the library. This is the height of hypocrisy in light of the QPL’s blatant blocking of some audio files you may want to save to your flash drive.

The issue is the selective blocking of intellectual content. This includes podcasts of radio programs from Gary Null and Amy Goodman, an award win-ning investigative reporter.

A QPL technician advised me that to make these podcasts available for saving just like all the others, authorization by up-per management was required. Listening to audio podcasts at the library is not an option, where the library supplies no listening device and/or insuffi-cient computer time is allotted.

At a later date, a spokesperson said that the blocking was due to a technical issue. (It remains unresolved.)

Fortunately, the New York Public Library makes all the podcasts equally available for saving to your flash drive. The Roosevelt Island branch is convenient via the F train and welcomes Queens residents wanting to download the QPL blocked audio files.

Clearly, the QPL is unfaithful to American Library Associa-tion’s guiding principles of “in-tellectual freedom and equitable access to information.”

Regrettably, we may have to wait for the replacement of QPL upper management for uncensored access like that of the NYPL. Thankfully, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is making excellent choic-es in replacing the “removed” library trustees.

P.S. - Much to its credit, downloading legitimate soft-ware is permitted at the QPL.

Bill Herbert,Richmond Hill

Library Policies Close Access

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7

Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

Phot

os b

y Jo

rdan

Gib

bons

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

When Mario Picayo first photo-graphed a Caribbean carnival, he re-alized that he had found his calling in life.

When he returned to his dark room, he noticed that he had been focusing on the colorful, elaborately decorated faces of the participants and he wanted to keep sharing their stories through photography.

“These faces are telling history,” he said. “This started taking me down a rabbit hole. The deeper you go, you realize how much history there is and how important it is.”

The work of Picayo and Mariano Hernández is on display at the York College Fine Art Gallery from Sept. 18 to Oct. 15. The gallery entitled “Caribbean Carnival Portraits: The Photography of Mario Picayo and Mariano Hernández” features pho-tos captured at 25 carnivals from all over the Caribbean by the two pho-tographers during the span of more than 25 years.

York College unveiled the new exhibit on Sept. 18 to start National Hispanic Heritage Month.

York College President Marcia Keizs said that the idea came from one of York’s faculty in the Foreign Language department, who also hap-pens to be Picayo’s mother.

“We have a lot of Caribbean stu-

dents, so the faculty thought it would be nice to kick it off with this and I agree with them,” Keizs said. “We have a captive audience. They can come in and take pictures and they can critique the work.”

The opening event featured live music and an outdoor perfor-mance that featured teenagers in vibrant horned masks and bat-winged costumes running around and cracking bull whips that echoed through-out the courtyard in front of the Academic Core Building.

Picayo said that the performers were Cachúas, named af-ter the horns on their mask, which are fea-tured in the Carnival Cimarron in the small

Capturing A Culture Through Photography

town of Cabral in the Dominican Re-public.

Picayo and Hernández have known each since the 1990s, but this is the first time they have collaborated to feature their art in one exhibit.

“Beyond their stellar success as works of art, these images represent valuable records of individuals who put enormous time and effort into annual events that create extraordi-nary memories for their community and its visitors,” Margaret Rose Ven-dryes, director of the Fine Arts Gal-lery, said.

Picayo said that during the Afri-can slave trade, it was very hard to maintain traditions, but the one way to keep them alive was through car-nival since they were still allowed to create detailed masks.

The strongest heritage that is on

display in the photos is West Afri-can, but it has been completely trans-formed in the hands of the Caribbean people, he said.

After spending so many years covering carnivals in places such as Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and the Virgin Islands, Picayo said it is more like a family to him now.

“It’s like brothers and sisters sepa-rated by miles,” he said. “You can change the costumes, but in its es-sence, it celebrates life. It is the best job in the world.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718) 357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Photographers Mario Picayo and Mariano Hernández gath-ered 25 years of photos for the York College exhibit. The cos-tumes represent the Cachúas from Cabral’s Carnival in the Dominical Republic.

14734-5/14

Borrow a Google Nexus Tablet at Queens Library!FREE!Easy to use, for beginners and experienced users .

Available at: Queens Library at Arverne 312 Beach 54 StreetQueens Library at Broad Channel 16-26 Cross Bay BoulevardQueens Library at Central 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, JamaicaQueens Library at Far Rockaway 1637 Central AvenueQueens Library at Howard Beach 92-06 156th AvenueQueens Library at Seaside 116-15 Rockaway Beach BoulevardQueens Library for Teens 2002 Cornaga AvenueQueens Library at Peninsula 92-25 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Take it home. Discover!

Explore!

www.queenslibrary.orgQueens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system.

Thank you Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the New York Department of State and Google Inc. for donating Google

Tablets to Queens Library for customers to borrow.

NOW!

At Central Library

in Jama ica

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9

Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

Police Blotter

Borough Beat

Phot

o by

Joe

Mar

villi

Got info?Call Crimestoppers at

1-800-577-tiPS (8477)or text tips to CRiMES (274637)

then enter TIPS577

BY JOE MARVILLI

Opportunities in the City’s grow-ing technology ecosystem were dis-cussed at a business forum breakfast last week.

Queens College hosted the break-fast on Sept. 19 in the Student Union Ballroom, where a packed house lis-tened to a keynote address by Jukay Hsu, the founder and executive direc-tor of Coalition for Queens.

After an introduction by the col-lege’s new president, Felix Matos Rodriguez, the Flushing-raised Hsu talked about technology’s impact on New York’s economy, how to spread that success to Queens and the jobs that tech companies are looking for people to fulfill.

Hsu said that even the most basic computer science knowledge, such as learning how to code, can transform an individual’s life or his or her com-munity, if they use these skills and an idea to create a product or company.

“Technology is really changing the U.S. economy, New York’s economy as well. It’s one of the most empow-ering things in the world,” he said. “Right now, if you learn to code, you can create new companies and prod-ucts and solve problems that you see in your daily life or community.”

Hsu’s nonprofit, Coalition for

Queens, is dedicated to foster-ing the technology ecosystem in the Borough. Its goal is to take the diversity and innova-tion of Queens’ 2.2 million people and develop a robust homegrown tech sector that adds to the existing scenes in Union Square and Brooklyn.

The tech scene in Queens, particularly in Long Island City, has seen noticeable growth as well, according to Hsu. Popular start-up compa-nies, like peer-to-peer rideshar-ing services Uber and Lyft, have made the neighborhood home for their New York headquarters. Songza, a free music streaming and recommendation ser-vice, is based in LIC as well.

“People are thinking of New York as a center of technology. It’s the number two hub, outside of Silicon Valley. There are great opportunities here in Queens as well,” Hsu said. “What’s great about technology is it’s fast-growing and it’s a huge driver for economic growth. For every one tech job, over four additional non-tech jobs are created. That’s more than any other industry.”

For those who do not want to cre-ate or join a start-up, the growing tech scene may still benefit them.

Hsu said that technology is playing a role in companies across the board, in fields like finance, health care, design and more. The jobs are also generally high-paying, he added.

No growth and development comes without obstacles though. Hsu outlined two of the tech sec-tor’s biggest challenges in New York City. He said that the industry is not very inclusive at the moment. Only 12 percent of developers are women and only seven percent are African-American. However, he said this challenge is part of Queens’ appeal, as it brings diversity that could help make a change.

The other barrier to tech growth is the lack of available developer and technical talent in the City, leaving many job positions at tech companies.

“There are tens of thou-sands of technical jobs unful-filled here in New York. How do we help support that and get people access to that?” Hsu asked.

Coalition for Queens is helping to increase access and grow the tech community in the Borough through various events that it holds through-out the year. In addition to meet-ups and hackathons, the

nonprofit has a program called Ac-cess Code, which equips adults from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds with computer pro-gramming skills.

Hsu also praised Queens College for its efforts to prepare its students for a tech-based economy.

“Queens College educates more computer science majors than any-where else in New York City. That’s incredible,” he said.

For more on the coalition, visit www.c4q.nyc.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, jmarvilli@queenstribune.com, or @JoeMarvilli.

Queens College Talks Tech At Biz Forum

Queens College’s president, Felix Matos Rodriguez (left), introduced keynote speaker Jukay Hsu at a business forum breakfast on Sept. 19.

106th PrecinctAssault

The NYPD is asking the public’s as-sistance identifying an individual want-ed with connection with a non-fatal shooting assault that occurred within the 106th Precinct.

At 3:55 a.m. on Sept. 20, in front of 123-07 Liberty Ave., Ozone Park, the suspect approached a 28-year-old vic-tim, brandished a firearm and shot the victim one time in the torso.

The suspect then fled in a dark-colored SUV in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to Jamaica Hospital where he is listed in serious condition.

The suspect is described as an His-panic male.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.nypd-crimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.

113th PrecinctCity Employee Arrested

At 1:46 a.m. on Sept. 22, Takeea Staunton, 27, an off-duty NYPD School Safety agent, was arrested and charged with assault and harassment within the confines of the 113th Precinct.

Collision Investigation At approximately 10:45 p.m. on

Sept. 18, police responded to a 911 call of a vehicle accident on the Belt Park-way in the vicinity of 181st Street.

Upon arrival, police discovered two males with severe trauma. The first vic-tim, identified as D’John Arias, 20, of Corona, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, identified as Karim Carter, 19, of Jamaica, was trans-ported via EMS to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A third victim, a 14-year-old male, sustained in-juries to his legs and was transported to a local hospital where he was listed in stable condition.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Arias was operating a 2014 Mitsub-ishi Lancer westbound on North Con-duit Avenue at an apparent high rate of speed when he swerved to overtake another vehicle and then attempted to swerve back into the left lane and en-ter the entrance ramp to the westbound Belt Parkway around 181st Street. The vehicle lost control, striking a light pole and then a tree.

115th PrecinctGrand Larceny

The NYPD is asking the public’s as-sistance locating one male and one fe-male wanted in connection with a grand larceny that occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Omkar Jewelers, 37-50 74th St., Jackson Heights, within the confines of the 115th Precinct.

The suspects entered the store and the female suspect distracted the clerk as the male suspect reached over the counter and removed four bangle brace-

lets. The jewelry had an approximate value of $10,000.

The first suspect is described as a fe-male Hispanic, approximately 5-foot-4, 180 lbs., wearing glasses. The second suspect is a male Hispanic, approxi-mately 5-foot-10.

Anyone with information is asked to contact NYPD’s Crime Stoppers.

These two suspects are wanted in con-nection to a grand larceny.

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11

pixCouncil Wins!

(Above) Last week, the City Council took on Mayor de Bla-sio’s office in a softball game in Brooklyn. Councilman I. Daneek Miller went 1-1 in the game while playing center field.

(Right) Councilman Donovan Richards slides into home during the softball game. The City Coun-cil team won the game. 17-13.

Hoops Court Ribbon CuttingOfficials gathered on Sept. 19 for a ribbon cutting ceremony at basketball courts at Baisley Park Playground. Pictured here are NYPD Police Service Area 9 Queens Borough representative; Pastor Richard Hogan, Divine De-liverance Ministry; Robert Hogan, Baisley Park Hous-es Tenant Association

Honoring Dads

State Senator Malcolm Smith was the keynote speaker at “Dads Take Your Child to School Day” at PS 48 in Jamaica on Sept. 16, where he joined more than 100 fathers. The purpose of the event was to promote parent involvement and to encourage fathers to take an active role in shaping their child’s education.

President; Council Member Ruben Wills; Dr. David Norment, Principal, PS 140Q; Assembly Member Vivian Cook; Beverly Campbell, Executive Director, Afro-American Parents Day Care.

Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

A & E

By Luis Gronda

An NFL Hall of Famer came to Queens to give kids healthy lifestyle advice.

Former wide receiver Jerry Rice made a stop at PS 244 in Flushing last week to en-courage young children to eat healthier and do more exer-cise just as the school season is getting underway.

Rice was there with Lysol as part of their Healthy Habits program. That program aims to lower the number of absen-tees in school, especially dur-ing cold and flu season.

A group of kids eagerly waited for Rice in the school’s courtyard. They erupted in elation once the hall-of-famer appeared, chanting his name over and over.

Rice told the children that he was able to play in the NFL for 20 years in part because of maintaining a healthy eating diet during his playing days. He also encouraged the kids to cover themselves if they sneeze or cough.

“That way it prevents the spread of germs,” he said. “The less sick days that you guys have, what are you do-ing? You’re still learning and when you learn, that can result in better grades.”

According to the school’s prin-

cipal, Robert Groff, they have a 97 percent attendance rate and that can be attributed to many of the school’s students staying healthy.

After Rice’s speech, the principal threw a couple of passes to the hall of famer, which drew more cheers from the kids as they looked on in amazement.

After the event, Rice spoke with reporters regarding the event and also commented on the recent news related to the NFL.

As part of the Healthy Habits program, Rice and Lysol created a Healthy Habits Playbook to advise families on how to be healthy and to

in Flushing, Jerry rice Tells Kids To Maintain Healthy Lifestyle

By JoE MarViLLi

The Queens Botanical Garden’s lat-est exhibit will lead you on a journey through an artist’s own evolution.

“Elaine Hajian: The Evolution of an Artist” will open in the Gallery of the Garden’s Visitor and Administra-tion Building on Sept. 30, displaying her varied work over the years.

Diving into the creative scene of 1950s New York, Hajian studied and trained in a wide variety of art genres, inspired by the diverse offerings she encountered every day. Landscapes, portraits, modern abstractions and many more styles were used to ex-press her experiences as well as her refusal to be restrained by the art es-tablishment.

“The pieces selected from her body of work are chosen to reflect the depth and breadth of her expand-ing vision and include landscapes, abstracts, portraits and experimen-tal work,” Darcy Hector, director of

marketing and development, said.Not only will visitors get a chance to

view Hajian’s work, but they will have a chance to learn from her directly dur-ing an En Plein Air workshop on Oct. 4. Running from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., this introductory class will help artists enhance their artistic skills with char-coal and pencil drawing.

“I know the joy of creating art based on the living landscape and be-lieve this workshop will be a wonder-ful introduction to this time-honored approach,” Regina Forlenza, the Garden’s visitor services and public program manager, said.

There is a $5 fee for the workshop and registration is required at www.

eventbrite.com/e/en-plein-air-art-workshop-tickets-12475525633.

You can see “The Evolution of an Artist” between Sept. 30 and Jan. 17, 2015. An artist’s reception will take place on Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Visitor and Administra-tion Building.

Blinking, beeping and blaring, countless fun and fascinating sights and sounds battled for at-tention at the fifth annual New York Maker Faire, held at the New York Hall of Science on Sept. 20-21. Showcasing various scientific principles and ingenious creativ-ity, it featured fighting drones, a wrist-mounted flamethrower, a cell phone charged by compost and boots enabling the wearer to move along at 20-25 miles an hour with minimal effort.

The BioBus that usually travels around the five boroughs intro-duced children to the incredible sights visible through handheld microscopes. Cyclists pedaled The Tick Tock Croc (five bicycles con-nected inside a crocodile shape) around the park each day and acrobats from Circus Warehouse practiced precarious poses.

A creative paradise for kids, it included outdoor tables under tents where they could carve rub-ber stamps, make soap with tiny toys inside and create puppets from assorted machine parts.

Indoors, a boy happily floated through the Hall’s lobby on a pro-totype hoverboard and another had his attention captured by one of the Hall’s regular exhibits, a screen that turns the actions of anyone in front of it into a series of undulating rainbows.

An inventor showed off his ex-truder, enabling any 3D printer to print with chocolate sauce, while in a darkened room in the Hall, a scientist demonstrated white screens that revealed full-color photos when viewed through 3D-glasses.

Elsewhere at the fair, people had fun watching small cars race, seeing artwork made from recycled materials and transforming comic book pages into pinback buttons.

For more information about the fair, go to www.makerfaire.com. To learn about the ongoing cre-ative projects for children at the New York Hall of Science at their Maker Space and Design Lab, go to www.nysci.org. The Hall is located at 47-01 111th St. and its number is (718) 699-0005.

– Barbara arnstein

Maker Faire returns To Hall of scienceimplement those tips. Rice said

the playbook includes tips on hy-giene, germs, illness prevention, nutrition and exercise. He added they made it nice and easy for kids and parents to follow.

During his speech, Rice said he always viewed himself as a role model during and after his playing days and he plans on continuing to conduct himself as a professional.

Related to that comment, Rice said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to make sure the players know that there will be strict consequences if they get into trouble regarding

crimes like domestic violence and child abuse.

He also said that some leadership in the locker room is lost amongst current players, because, with the recent collective bargaining agree-ment, many teams now prefer to go with younger players on their teams, leaving older players without a job.

“I think the players should just rec-ognize that, ‘hey, look, this is a great sport, one of the best sports ever and I should just conduct myself the right way,’ ” Rice said.

Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at (718) 357-7400, ext. 127, lgronda@queenstribune.com or @luisgronda.

Hajian Exhibit Comes To Botanical Garden

“I hope the show will communi-cate my intimate vision of the world through color, movement, form and expression,” Hajian said. “Creativity is a vehicle of self-expression, and the love of beauty in all things has provided me a lifetime of tremen-dous happiness.”

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, jmarvilli@queen-stribune.com, or @JoeMarvilli.

nFL Hall of Famer Jerry rice spoke to Ps 244 students about the importance of staying healthy.

QUEENS TODAY

MONDAY 9/29

SATURDAY 9/27

TUESDAY 9/30SUNDAY 9/28

BAYSIDE DAYSATURDAY 9/27

FRIDAY 9/26 SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

NY CLASSICAL PLAYERSAt Flushing Town Hall, the New York Classical Players will present one of to-day’s most distinguished young violinists, Itamar Zorman, as he performs Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto.” The NYCP also introduces Bartok’s masterwork, “Divertimento for String Orchestra,” as well as one of the best-loved tunes ever composed, “Vocalise” by Rachmaninoff. This free concert starts at 8 p.m. Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd.

CLIMATE CHANGEAs part of the Natural His-tory Museum’s residency at the Queens Museum, Juan Camilo Osorio of the NYC-Environmental Justice Alliance guides visitors through a talk and tour of the famous Panorama of the City of New York. By looking at the vast architectural model of New York City from the perspective of climate jus-tice, visitors see directly the challenges and opportuni-ties faced by urban planning for a changing climate. The event runs from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Call (718) 592-9700 for more information.

OKTOBERFEST – FLUSHING STYLEJoin the Voelker Orth Museum in its garden from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for Oktoberfest – Flushing style. German American cuisine will be served alongside a sampling of Korean-American dishes

- uniting two culinary traditions of humble pickled cabbage. Enjoy the music of David Block, with dinner at this end-of-garden-season event. General admission costs $30 and is $25 for museum members. Reserve your ticket in advance by calling (718) 359-6227.

HALFWAY TO ST. PATRICK’S DAYStart your St. Paddy’s partying early with Sun-nyside’s Boulevard Bars 2nd Annual Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day Music Festival at 6 p.m. Participating bars include Bliss Street Station, Arriba Arriba, The Courtyard Ale House and Maggie Mae’s. All venues will have live music and drink specials with a $10 wristband and proceeds go to benefi t services and events for wounded veter-ans. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SunnysidesBoulevardBars.

‘SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE’The Queens Theatre will start its 2014-2015 season with a performance of “Say Goodnight Gracie.” This one-man play, starring Alan Safi er, traces the life of George Burns from his childhood to his early career in vaudeville to his meeting and relationship with his wife, Gracie Allen. There will be three performances over the weekend, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost between $25 and $42. To learn more, visit http://queenstheatre.org or call (718) 760-0064.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI’S FESTIVALGet outdoors for au-tumn with St. Francis of Assisi’s Eighth An-nual Parish Festival, from noon to 9 p.m., with a preceding outdoor Mass at 11:30 a.m. Enjoy rides, food, a silent auction, games, a teen lounge and live music

by Spitfi re. Admission is free. For more information, call (718) 728-7801.

THREE ASTORIA POETSQueens Poet Laureate Paolo Javier will host three award-winning poets from the Astoria neighborhood at the Asto-ria Bookshop, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Guillermo Filice Castro, Matthew Hittinger and Ocean Vuong will read from recent work. For more information, call (718) 278-2665.

OK’TOGA’FESTYep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Don your favorite pair of bedsheets and knock off Ray Bans to celebrate a bountiful harvest with Pop Bar in true back to school fashion: with a kegger. Ten dollars gets you a bratwurst plate, a personalized red solo cub with fi ve drink refi lls or a bucket of of 5 warsteiner bottles. Raffl e tickets for a golf bag or mani pedi will be picked. No cover. For more informa-tion, call (718) 204-8313.

YARD SALE The Woodhaven Residents Block Association will sponsor its second an-nual, “The Great Wood-haven Yard Sale.” On that day, several Woodhaven residents will make their an-tique possessions available for sale. Potential residents can bounce around to each yard sale like a fl ea mar-ket. More than 60 families participated in the event last year. The sale will begin at 9 a.m. and fi nish at 4 p.m. The rain date for the yard sale is Sept. 28.

DINNER Emanuel United Church of Christ will hold its annual pre-fair dinner. There will

be a full course dinner offered along with live music and other activi-ties. It costs $20 to get in. It will begin at 5 p.m. For information, call (718) 849-1153.

FINE ART SHOWLtauha Restaurant will host its fi rst art show. Every three months, the res-taurant will host work from local artists at the establish-ment. It will run from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The res-taurant is located at 55-50 Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood. For more information, email Ltauhadinner@gmail.com.

PICNIC DAYSThe Onderdonk House will host its second-to-last Picnic Days event on Sept. 27. It is $5 per person and free for people 12 and under. It includes grills, picnic tables. The tables are fi rst come, fi rst serve and there are fi ve available. You bring all your own supplies including charcoal and food. You can also bring more chairs, tables and blankets if needed. There is no alcohol allowed. A tour of the Onderdonk House is also included. The Onder-donk House is located at 1820 Flushing Ave.

DESIGNING A WORLD’S FAIR GARDENJoin the Queens Botani-cal Garden for a deeper look into its origins at the 1939 World’s Fair with Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky, the lead-ing expert on this topic and Executive Director of the New Haven Museum. Registration is required. To do so, email rforlenza@queensbotanical.org. The event starts at 2:30 p.m.

and is free with Garden admission.

HARVEST TIME JAMFrom 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., smash and stir seasonal fruit into a yummy batch of home-made jam at the New York Hall of Science. This work-shop is recommended for children ages 18 months and older and will be held in the museum’s Maker Space. There is an $8 materials fee per family, plus museum admission. For more info, call (718) 699-0005.

BOOK TALKNew York Times Journal-ist Joseph Berger will discuss his book “The Pious Ones: The World of Hasidim.” He explores the world of Hasidim including what they believe in and their struggles. The talk will begin at 1:30 p.m. It is $5 minimum to get in and the suggested do-nation is $8. The talk will take place at the Central Queens Y in Forest Hills, which is located at 67-09 108th St.

TOM STOPPARDQueens College will start its evening readings series for the school year with Tom Stoppard. At 7 p.m. in the music building, the play-wright and screenwriter will appear in conver-sation with Leonard Lopate. He is known for his work on fi lms like “Brazil,” “The Russian House” and “Shakespeare in Love.” The event costs $20.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bayside Day with the Bayside Historical Society at the Castle at Fort Totten.

Enjoy a vintage automobile parade, games and challenges, a beer and wine garden, a food tent and much more. Bring your own bike to decorate and enter the velocipede parade.

The festival is rain or shine and runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call (718) 352-1548 to fi nd out more.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKSPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

and is free with Garden

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 13

Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

Profile

NYFAC Tour

People

Air Force Airman Mama-dou Samoura graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an in-tensive, eight-week program that in-cluded training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Samoura is the son of Oumou and Seydou Samoura of Hollis.

Keith Mikell of Rockaway Park was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester at Ohio Chris-tian University College of Adult and Graduate Studies I Circleville, Ohio.

Local students received degrees during summer 2014 commencement ceremonies at SUNY Buffalo State. They include:

Rosedale: Richmond Wills. St. Albans: Stephen Alexander, Jo-

anna Anderson.

Local students were named to the Dean’s List and President’s List for the spring 2014 quarter at Berkeley College. They include:

President’s List Jamaica: Bryan Johnson, Sophia

Shand, Jose Tejada. Rosedale: Natalee Beaufort. South Ozone Park: Adrian Humes,

Salome Shivrattan. South Richmond Hill: Andy Del-

gado, Sharon Mohan. St. Albans: Fatima Hall. Dean’s ListJamaica: Sabrina Alishayeva, Jon-

athan Allen, Aimee Batista, Thomas Charles, Kirk Cooper, Mamoudou Diallo, Kirk Douglas, Syreeta Jen-

kins, Glenn Law, Candace Mitchell, Tanaka Mundangepfupfu, Sonia Pru-dencio, Sheryll Spence, Nia St. Kitts, Alma Ynoa.

Rosedale: Darryl Bayard, Phillisa Ellis-Montgomery, Ethan Joseph, Brittany Magloire, Shaniqua McIn-tosh.

Mamadou Samoura

Andrew Baumann, President & CEO of New York Families for Autistic Children in Howard Beach, recently hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the Assembly to see first-hand how NYFAC and its staff impact lives. On hand were Assemblymembers Mike Miller, David Weprin, Nily Rozic and Phil Goldfeder.

South Ozone Park: Narissa Per-saud, Karla Toala.

South Richmond Hill: Safeeya Basambar.

Springfield Gardens: Tracey Ha-zelwood, Romel Roachford, Laurel Walker.

St. Albans: Diane Hawley-Atherley.

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

Stephanie Perez-Gravesande im-migrated to New York from the Do-minican Republic when she was 14 years old and credits the Working In Support of Education Institute, or WISE, at her high school with pro-viding her the skills to get ahead in the corporate world.

This weekend, Perez-Gravesande will participate in a 100-mile cycling event in Maryland to fundraise in or-der to give back to the program that helped her achieve goals she never knew were available to her while she learned a new language in a new country.

She started at the High School of Economics and Finance in Manhat-tan when she was 16 years old where the WISE program is fully integrated into the curriculum. The institute re-quires students to take seminars with industry professionals and complete field work by providing services and internships. Students access the busi-ness world and potentially meet role models to help give them an edge in the future.

“I understand the importance of the program in playing the role of helping me get to where I am today,” she said. “It gave me the information I needed to know to get ahead.”

As a sophomore, she was placed in an unpaid internship with a nonprofit. As a junior, she received a paid internship at a financial company.

Now, Perez-Gravesande is in alumni relations at a major financial institution. She also received her bachelor’s degree at the New York City College of Technology and her master’s de-gree at Long Island University.

“I truly believe that if I had attend-ed a high school without a program focused on individual development, I would not have pursued higher edu-cation and would not be as success-ful as I am today,” she said. “There were quite a few challenges I was un-dertaking.”

After only being in New York for one year, she was still learn-ing English as an ESL student and had no idea what options

there were for her in America.Her only plan at the time was to

move out of her parents’ house.“It opens your eyes and shows you

the opportunities available to you,” she said. “It showed me what my op-tions were and what were my limita-tions, which made me realize that I did not have any.”

While she was working on an internship, she introduced herself to someone who worked across the

street and that same person ended up calling her seven years later for the job she cur-rently has. She credited the Stand Up and Be Heard pub-lic speaking class she took in high school with giving her the courage to start a conversation with her future boss.

The program requires stu-dents to work at nonprofits first and then they can get in-ternships at a variety of insti-tutions, such as the Board of Standards and Appeals, State Farm, Time Warner Cable, Small Business Services and the New York Marriott Fi-

nancial Center, according to Kristy Nguyen at the WISE Institute.

Perez-Gravesande said she hopes to reach her goal of $15,000 to help keep the nonprofit institute alive for students at her alma mater.

For more information on how to donate, visit www.wise-ny.org/seagullcenturyride.htm.

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Cambria Heights Resident Rides 100 Miles To Support Education

Stephanie Perez-Gravesande

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15

Faith

NotebookCampus Magnet Complex

A Rosh Hashanah Ritual

By yossi and Mushky Mendelson

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated at a most unusual time of year. At first glance, the fall is the diametric opposite of everything new. With the dying leaves and the chill developing in the air, all we can think about is that “winter is coming.”

From a biblical point of view as well, Rosh Hashanah is the “first day of the seventh month” the first month being that of Nissan, the springtime month in which Passover is celebrated.

It would seem logical to celebrate the New Year in the spring, a time of renewal and rebirth, portent with hope for the possibilities of the year to come. Indeed, many cultures cele-brate a New Year at this time; the As-syrian Kha b’ Nisan is now marked on April 1, the Persian Nowruz is still cel-ebrated widely on the same date and the Babylonian Akitu was a week-long festival at the same time of year.

So why is the Jewish New Year in the fall and why so serious?

Most Jewish holidays follow the agricultural cycle and the autumn marks the end of that cycle. It is

when the farmer gathers the harvest, the product of the past year’s toil and begins to think about plans for the coming year.

Accordingly, the day celebrated as the Jewish New Year is the sixth day in the Torah’s account of creation. On this day, scripture states, the first human was formed.

As such, the difference is funda-mental. A springtime New Year is filled hope for what the new year might bring, but it is out of our con-trol. The autumnal New Year on the other hand is when we consider our responsibility for what we will do in the coming year. Spring is about G-d and autumn is about humans.

The religious New Year takes this agricultural phenomenon as emblem-atic of all of our interactions with our world, be those interactions spiritual, cultural or political. At this time, we are to take stock of the impact we are having or not having on our environ-ment and ourselves.

The negative effects of climate change loom ominously; the human race is called to consider what our part in this problem is. How respon-sible are we being in our interactions with the natural world?

Rosh Hashanah and Shemitta tell us that if we are the stewards of this earth, we must approach that steward-ship with sobriety and seriousness. This Thursday and Friday, Jews will gather in houses of worship for intro-spective prayers and awe inspiring lit-urgy. The high point of this will be the

Jewish Community Weighs In:as Rosh hashanah approaches, ‘Winter is Coming’

sounding of the “Shofar,” a ram’s horn fashioned into a sort of bugle whose sound is powerful and stirring, prod-ding us to challenge the status quo.

Yossi and Mushky Mendelson are the Rabbi and Rebbetzin of Congrega-tion Machane Chodosh a traditional, inclusive congregation in Forest Hills.

local Principal Contributes To a Joy of Reading anthology

speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito with Queens Jewish Council Members kar-en koslowitz, Rory lancman and Mark Weprin, dipping apples in honey, a Rosh hashanah ritual, prepared by Masbia’s Chef Ruben diaz at Masbia of Queens Tuesday evening.

By JoRdan GiBBons

José Cruz, principal of Math, Sci-ence and Research & Technology High School at the Campus Magnet Complex in Cambria Heights wrote about how he found his passion for reading in a recent anthology of writ-ings on the joy of reading, “Open A World of Possible.”

When Cruz was in the Dominican Republic, he said, his mother would write him letters and postcards from New York City. These letters and postcards helped him realize his in-terest in reading at the age of 6.

Cruz wrote about how reading letters and postcards written by his mother to him in the Dominican Republic when she was in New York City made him realize his interest in reading at the age of 6.

“After reading and spending hours looking at the postcards, I began to

think that one day I was going to live in the Empire State Building and go swimming in the lakes in Central Park,” he wrote. “A week after my arrival at PS 165 in Manhattan, Ms. Guild, my teacher, gave my class a homework as-signment I would never forget.”

She told everyone in the class to become a member of the Public Li-brary. He went to the library that day with his mother and their passports.

“I did not believe it when the li-brarian told me I could borrow any book I wanted,” he wrote. “When I saw all the books, I was beyond ex-cited. It was my first time in a library and my heart was pounding.”

Cruz still found reading difficult because he was still learning English, but he was not deterred.

He insisted on taking out as many books as he could carry.

“When I read, I was transported to another universe,” he wrote. “It

was as though the author had written me a letter, which I did not under-stand at first, but if I didn’t give up and kept at it, eventually I could.”

He referred to Ernest Hemingway, Guy de Maupassant and John Stein-beck as his good friends.

Cruz thanked his teachers, Mr. Newman and Mr. Erlich, for intro-ducing him to all the great writers and Sister Grace Anne Troisi, a Sis-ter of Charity and her friend Connie Anestis, who insisted he read the “great novels.”

“Reading not only introduced me to a universe I never would have known, it also kept me out of trouble,” he wrote. “The inner city is filled with opportunities to go in the wrong direction; there were gangs, drugs and plenty of other self-destructive distractions.”

He recalled classmates who would talk about their peers who were shot,

stabbed or died of an overdose. He admitted not being perfect, but he said he was out of the loop of com-mon tragedies in the community because he was busy exploring the world of reading.

“Man José, where have you been? You never know what’s happening. You miss all the excitement,” he said his friends would tell him.

“In fact, I was creating my own ex-citement, exploring yet another universe with my new literary friends that I met in the pages of a book,” he wrote.

Cruz is a product of City Public Schools, a graduate of Manhattan College, has a J.D. from CUNY Law School, a Master of Science from the Bank Street College of Education and has been principal of MAST High School for five years.

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

What’s Up

Send your community events to the PRESS for a free listing at 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357. Call (718) 357-7400 or email editor@queenspress.com. All events will be considered for

publication, without a fee.

Sept. 26Senior Acting

The Queens Library Queens Vil-lage branch is calling all older adults for their STARs: Senior Theater Act-ing Repertory from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Join their galaxy of STARs and perform theatrical works at the li-brary with a great group of people. The branch is located at 94-11 217th St., Queens Village.

Sept. 27Hip Hop Legends

On Saturday, Resorts World Ca-sino is having “Legends of Hip Hop Vol. 2” at 9 p.m. Hip Hop has deep roots and a tremendous presence in New York City and Resorts World Casino New York City is bringing Hip Hop artists back to Queens.

The evening’s lineup will include performances by pioneer Grand Mas-ter Melle Mel, leader rapper and song writer for Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, Chubb Rock, best known for his success in the early 1990’s including his hit, “Treat Em’ Right,” and acclaimed hip hop art-ist Rob Base, most recognized for his chart topping hit, “It Takes Two.” The concert will also feature DJ Marley Marl, who is widely considered one of the most influential producers in hip hop history, Spoonie Gee, T-Ski Valley, Fat Man Scoop and Chingy.

Tickets cost $20 to $125 and the doors open at 8 p.m.

Health And FitnessCouncilman I. Daneek Miller’s

next Family Health and Fitness Day will be on Saturday at Roy Wilkins Park, located at 177-01 Bais-ley Blvd. from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event will feature free bike helmet fittings and giveaways, along with games, sports, health screenings and back to school information.

Meet Your CeCOn Saturday, Community Edu-

cation Council 29 will be hosting a “Get to know your CEC” back to school event from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at IS 59, located at 132-55 Ridgedale St., Springfield Gardens. Scholastic has donated over 400 books to distribute to families during the event. Free school supplies, door prizes and refreshments will be given out and there will be a Home Depot kid’s shop and MetLife child ID pho-tos taken. Families can meet their CEC members, the Superintendent will present the district’s test scores and there will be EmblemHealth nu-trition and special education work-shops.

Sept 30Legal Assistance

Are you in need of legal assis-tance with immigration, family law, foreclosure prevention, housing or other issues? The New York Legal Assistance Group will have its Mo-bile Legal Help Center parked in front of the Councilman I. Daneek Miller’s district office located at 172-12 Linden Blvd., from noon to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but RSVPs are preferred. To make an appointment please visit: https://mobilelegalhelpcenter.acuitysched-uling.com.

participatory BudgetingThe next phase of Participatory

Budgeting for District 27 will com-mence on Tuesday with Councilman I. Daneek Miller’s first Neighbor-hood Assembly. The event will take place at Majority Baptist Church, located at 115-21 Farmers Blvd at 7 p.m. This is your opportunity to sug-gest project ideas that could poten-tially be implemented in the district. For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Jessica Douglas at (718) 776-3700, or email district27@council.nyc.gov.

OCt. 2Community Meeting

The Springfield/Rosedale Com-munity Action Association commu-nity meeting on Thursday will have guest speakers from the City Dept. answering questions about property taxes, property assessments and property evaluations from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The meeting will be St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, located at 224-10 147th Ave., Springfield Gar-dens.

For more information, call (718) 525-4399 or email srcaainc@aol.com.

ONgOiNgFood pantry

Greater Springfield Community Church distributes food every Sat-urday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., while supplies last, at the church located at 177-06 129th Ave., Jamaica. For more information, call (718) 527-0100.

Jamaica Farmers’ MarketThe Jamaica Farmers’ Market is

open every Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 20. The market is held on 160th Street just outside the entrance of the Jamaica Market between Jamaica Avenue and 90th Street. Free one hour parking is provided for Farmers Market cus-tomers only. photo exhibit

York College just opened their month-long photographic exhibit, “Caribbean Carnival Portraits: The Photography of Mario Picayo and Mariano Hernandez,” which pays homage to Caribbean carnivals. It fea-tures photos from Picayo and Hernan-dez, two of the Caribbean’s most pro-lific photographers. They have chased the excitement of Caribbean carnivals for more than 25 years and their work has been featured within the pages of books, magazines and brochures.

game DayThe Queens Library Queens Vil-

lage branch invites children in grades 1 to 6 to join them every Friday after-noon to play their favorite card and board games from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

game Club/Movie timeThe Queens Library Laurelton

branch youth counselors play games and watch educational movies with teens every Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Movie days are every sec-

ond and fourth Friday of the month. Game days are the first and third Friday of the month. The Laurelton branch is located at 134-26 225th St.

Calypso CardioEvery Friday, the Queens Library

Laurelton branch hosts ShapeUp NYC: Calypso Cardio from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Instructor Debra Brown offers a total body workout that im-proves muscle strength, endurance and keeps the heart rate up to burn calories and strengthen the cardio-pulmonary system. Space is limited and participation is on a first-come, first served basis. The Laurelton branch is located at 134-26 225th St.

Health WalkJoin Council Member I. Daneek

Miller for the 14-week Walking for Health Program starting at 7:30 a.m. every Saturday at St. Albans Park (173rd Street and Sayres Av-enue). Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and clothing. All participants will receive a water bottle and knap-sack. Also, BMI, blood pressure and height check-up will be available. Please RSVP by calling Ms. Denson at (718) 776-3700.

After SchoolNew York City Department of

Youth and Community Develop-ment has renamed the City’s Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school program COMPASS NYC (The Comprehensive After School System of New York City) and the expanded middle school initiative as SONYC (School’s Out New York City).

For more information about pro-grams provided through SONYC beginning this fall, visit their web-site here and stay tuned for updates throughout the school year.

immigrant Fraud protectionIf you or someone you know is

a former client of the International Immigrants Foundation, Inc. (IIF) or the International Professional As-sociation, Inc. (IPA), and believes they have been defrauded by either of these organizations, you may sub-mit a claim form online or a printed form via mail, fax, or email. The deadline to submit a form is October 23, 2014.

For more information, please vis-it http://nylag.org/ipa.

Check out the Caribbean Carnival photos at York College’s Fine Art gallery until Oct. 15.

LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

You Can E-Mail Your Legal Copy to

legals@queenstribune.com to Place Your Legal Advertisement or

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF QUEENS IN-DEX# 703131/2014 FILED 8/14/2014 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICE Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mort-gage premise is situated. PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSCIA-TION, Plaintiff against CHAND KASODATT if he be living and if he be dead, the respective heirs-at-law, next-of-kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devi-sees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and succes-sors in interest, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant(s) who may be deceased, by purchase, in-heritance, lien or inheritance, any right, title or interest in or to the real property de-scribed in the Complaint, VICKRAM, CHAND, FIRST FRANKLIN FINANCIAL COR-PORATION, NYC ENVIRON-MENTAL CONTROL BOARD, and “JOHN DOE” and “JANE DOE”, the last two names being fictitious, said parties intended being tenants, or occupants, if any, having or claiming an interest in, or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERI-CA, Defendant(s). TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFEN-DANTS: NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COM-PLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLO-S U R E P R O C E E D I N G AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDG-MENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN AT-TORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOU CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUM-MONS AND PROTEC T YOUR PROPERTY. SEND-ING A PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORE-CLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERV-ING A COPY OF THE AN-SWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORT-GAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the com-plaint is not serviced with this summons, to serve a notice

of appearance on the Plain-tiff’s attorney within 20 days after the service of this sum-mons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this summons is not person-ally delivered to you within the State of New York); The United States of America, if designated as a Defendant in this action, may appear within (60) days of service thereof and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the com-plaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT: THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a mortgage in the sum of $340,000.00 dated April 28, 2005, execut-ed by defendant(s) VICKRAM CHAND, to FIRST FRANK-LIN, A DIVISION OF NAT BANK OF IN, recorded on June 8, 2005 in CRFN: 2005000332751 in the Of-fice of the Clerk of the County of Queens. FIRST FRANKLIN, A DIVISION OF NATIONAL CITY BANK OF INDIANA assigned all of its right, title and interest in the Mortgage by way of an as-signment executed July 28, 2005 to FIRST FRANKLIN FINANCIAL CORPORA-TION. The assignment was duly recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on September 12, 2 0 0 6 , i n C R F N : 2006000512908. FIRST FRANKLIN FINANCIAL COR-PORATION assigned all of its right, title and interest in the Mortgage by way of an as-signment dated March 5, 2013 to PNC BANK, NA-TIONAL ASSOCIATION. The assignment was duly re-corded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on May 14, 2013, in CRFN: 2013000197909, covering premises known as 114 27 135th Street, South Ozone Park, NY 11420, (Sec-tion 51 Block 11661 Lot 54). The relief sought within ac-tion is a final judgment direct-ing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt described above. To the above named Defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publica-tion pursuant to an order of the Hon. Thomas D. Raffaele, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, filed along with the supporting papers in the Of-fice of the Clerk of the Count y of Queens on 8/13/2014. This is an action to foreclose on a mortgage. ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and

State of New York, (Section 51 Block 11661 Lot 54). Said premises known as 114 27 135th Street, South Ozone Park, NY 11420. YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OB-TAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. By reason of the default in the payment of the monthly installment of principal and interest, among other things, as hereinafter set forth, Plaintiff, the holder and owner of the aforemen-tioned note and mortgage, or their agents have elected and hereby accelerate the mortgage and declare the entire mortgage indebted-ness immediately due and payable. The following amounts are now due and owing on said mortgage, no part of any of which has been paid although duly demand-ed: By reason of the aforesaid, plaintiff has elected to declare the unpaid principal sum of the Adjustable Rate Note and Mortgage in the amount of $313,208.09 with accrued interest at 6.500% per an-num, from June 1, 2012 to be immediately due and pay-able. UNLESS YOU DISPUTE THE VALIDITY OF THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THERE-OF, WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER YOUR RECEIPT HEREOF THAT THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THERE-OF, IS DISPUTED, THE D E B TO R J U D G M E N T AGAINST YOU AND A COPY OF SUCH VERIFICA-TION OR JUDGMENT WILL BE MAILED TO YOU BY THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR. IF APPLICABLE, UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST, WITHIN SAID THIRTY (30) DAY PERIOD, THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE ORIGINAL CREDITOR. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A DISCHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES BANK-RUPTCY COURT, YOU ARE NOT PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR THE UNDERLYING INDEBTEDNESS OWED TO PLAINTIFF/CREDITOR AND THIS NOTICE/DISCLOSURE IS FOR COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATIONAL PUR-POSES ONLY. HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORE-CLOSURE New York State requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it care-fully. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT You are in danger of losing your home. If you fail to respond to the summons and complaint in this foreclosure action, you may lose your home. Please read the summons and com-plaint carefully. You should immediately contact an at-torney or your local legal aid

office to obtain advice on how to protect yourself. SOURCES OF INFORMA-TION AND ASSISTANCE The State encourages you to be-come informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid, there are government agen-cies, and non-profit organiza-tions that you may contact for information about possi-ble options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by New York state Banking Department at 1-877-Bank-NYS or visit the Department’s website at www.banking.state.ny.us FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a con-tract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you

until they have completed all such promised services. Sec-tion 1303 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving the copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this fore-closure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you may lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTOR-NEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING AN ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Kozeny, McCubbin & Katz, LLP. At-torneys for the Plaintiff, 395 N. Service Road, Suite 401, Melville, NY 11747 Our File 20607________________________NOTICE OF SALE SU-PREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSO-CIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR DEUTSCHE ALT-A SECURI-TIES INC., MORTGAGE PASS-

THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-AR3, Plaintiff, against ANDRE BAKSH, et al., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated 4/24/2014 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Courthouse in Courthouse #25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on 10/24/2014 at 10:00AM, premises known as 197-17 100TH AVENUE, Hollis, NY 11423 All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Hollis, in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, BLOCK: 10844 LOT: 19. Approxi-mate amount of judgment $650,805.60 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 15598/09. Joseph F. Defelice, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC, Attorney for Plaintiff, P.O. Box 540, Getzville, NY 14068 Dated: September 3, 2014 1110498

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17

Investment firm Racebrook Capital will soon begin con-struction on The ARK at JFK, a multi-purpose animal han-dling and air cargo facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The vacant Building 78 will be transformed into what has been billed as the world’s only animal terminal, and the first USDA-approved full-service, 24-hour, privately-owned quarantine operation. The facility will focus on the import and export of horses, pets, cats, dogs, birds, exotic special animals, zoo animals and livestock. Cornell University’s Col-lege of Veterinary Medicine will handle the veterinary hospital while The Spot Expe-rience, who is partnering with Racebrook for the facility, will provide a team of veterinary technicians and animal behav-iorists. The ARK is expected to transport about 70,000 ani-mals a year. We are at QConf are con-fidant that JFK will be able to corral their new guests, since the TSA has so much experience herding airplane passengers as if they were cattle on a daily basis.

Sarah GlassmanMusicians OF QuEEnsQCO

NFID

ENTI

AL

Music and performance has been in Sarah Glassman’s DNA for years, from her time in Kansas to her move to New York. While she was part of the theatrical and opera commu-nity, Glassman felt that some-thing was missing, something that would allow her to pursue a more open road.

“Everything was already scripted and practically set in stone. It was in 2007, here in Astoria, when I first really started pursuing the art of songwriting,” she said. “Once I opened that door, the words and melodies just started flow-ing. It was an overwhelming, yet unbelievable feeling, and I knew I had found my true calling.”

Although she has tran-sitioned to writing her own material, theater is still in her blood. It can be heard in her voice and song arrangements, specifically on “Toxic,” with its major piano chords and a pulsing beat. It is as easy to imagine the song being performed on Broadway or in a rock club.

Glassman’s experience in productions like “Into The Woods” helped her budding music career not only by developing her voice, piano playing and versatility, but also by improving her song-writing discipline.

“I think my experience on the stage has made me even more of a perfectionist, trying to master the arrangements of each tune I write, just as if it would be that of an orches-tral score,” Glassman said. “My songs also tend to be not just about the tune, but more importantly the lyrics. The story.”

Those stories will be un-veiled in Glassman’s debut EP, “Toxic,” due out this No-

vember. The six-song record is an outpouring of emotion, as she sings about heartache, family problems and other drama she was going through at the time.

Transforming these frus-trations into songs was a ca-thartic experience, according to Glassman.

“I feel so much better now that I got it all off my chest. Now, I just love playing the tunes, as each one is a chapter in my life,” she said. “I worked together alongside Dean Bohana at Rockgar-den Studio in Greenpoint. Together, we created a cool, smooth rock/blues sound that has a lot of soul and honesty behind it.”

Astoria has provided a solid foundation for Glass-man, on which she has started to build her career. Moving to the neighborhood at the recommendation of one of her professors, Glassman fell for the intimate feel of the commu-nity. Nowadays, you can find her at many of Astoria’s bars and performance spaces.

“I've played several neigh-borhood venues, and I also worked as the karaoke host at my favorite neighborhood spot, Cronin and Phelan,” she said. “Astoria has become a home for me, and I couldn't be more humbled by the love and support I've received.”

With her debut EP on the way, Glassman plans to play at the LIC Bar in October and November, though she is still figuring out exact dates. She is also working on a mini-tour of the East Coast this fall.

If you want to learn more about Glassman, you can visit www.facebook.com/sarah-glassmanmusic or www.sound-cloud.com/sarah-glassman.

- Joe Marvilli

JFK's Animal House

QConf is edited by:

Steven J. Ferrari

Contributors: Bruce Adler, Jordan Gibbons, Vladimir Grjonko, Luis Gronda, Walter Karling,

Joe Marvilli, Marcia Moxom Comrie, Michael

Nussbaum, Michael Schenkler, Jackie

Strawbridge.

Like us on Facebook:

facebook.com/QueensTrib

Follow us on Twitter: @QueensTrib

And The Vendy Goes To...

If you’re hungry but busy in the Borough, you can get great meals all day long without stopping to sit down. Five Queens food trucks and stands won coveted Vendy awards this year in the 10th annual street food competi-tion, which took place on Governor’s Island. Long Island City’s Ice and Vice and Corona’s Ricas Bota-nas Mexicana were finalists

Spotted on a recent Sunday morning on 35th Avenue and the Clearview Expressway: Yoobi Kim (7) chauffering her cousin Jaime Lee (2) in the passenger seat while Yoobi's other cousin Jayden Lee (5) is the spare power train in case the car konks out. Miniaturization marches on. Photo by Walter Karling.

Parks Blacksmith Wanted If you are looking for a job that gets your hands dirty, this opportunity offered by the City might be right up your alley. The Parks Dept. cur-rently has a job ad out for a blacksmith. You could be the replacement for longtime Blacksmith Larry Hagberg, who recently retired after hold-ing the position since 1984. According to the job listing, requirements for the 100k-per-year job include “repair existing metal structures

and fencing, play equipment, vehicles, metal parts of carts, enclosures, sweepers and other equipment as needed.” The minimum experience is five years as a full-time black-smith in the last 15 years or twoand a half years full-time plus experience being a black-smith’s assistant. Perhaps a Queens resident or native can nail down the in-terview process and be the next person to wield their hammer as the Parks’ blacksmith.

in the “best dessert category;” Astoria’s El Rey Del Taco won a Vendy Cup and King of Falafel & Shawarma won a Master’s Cup; Bolivian Llama Party from Far Rockaway nabbed “Best of Market.” We here at QConf think this is great news, and cause to celebrate – but we’ll take any excuse to grab a chicken platter and pita from King of Shawarma.

Sunday Drivers

The King of Falafel & Shawarma on 30th Avenue was one of the winners of the Vendy Awards. Photo by Steven J. Ferrari.

Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014

To Advertise in the Southeast Queens Press ClassifiedsCall (718) 357-7400 • Fax (718) 357-0076

150-50 14th Road, Whitestone NY 11357CLASSIFIEDS

Home Imprv. Home Imprv.

LOOKOld Clocks & Watches Wanted

By Collector, Regardless ofCondition - Highest Prices Paid

917-748-7225

Want 2 Buy Want 2 BuyOld Records33s-45s-78s

Doo-Wop - Rock & Roll - Heavy Metal - PunkDisco - Latin - Blue Grass - Reggae/CalypsoSoul - Blues - Jazz - Gospel - Ethnic Music

Foreign Film soundtracksNo Top Hitmaking Artists or Classical

Charlie516-612-2009

♫ ♪

Drivers Wanted

Help Wanted Help Wanted

Sewer & Drain Sewer & Drain

Help Wanted Help Wanted Help Wanted Help Wanted

Tree Services Tree Services Tree ServicesRoofing Roofing

HANDYHERMANFixes Anything

All Plumbing, Heating,Tanks, Boilers,

Contracting & Repairs516-815-8510

Handyman

ADVERTISEYOUR SERVICE IN THE

PRESSCLASSIFIEDS!718-357-7400

ext 151

IMMIGRATIONAll your immigration needs

Real Estate and Other Legal MattersBROOKLYN LOCATION AVAILABLE

Cedarhurst - 575 Chestnut Street, NY 11516

516.374.5467CALL FOR APPOINTMENT

H. ZALCMAN-ATTORNEY AT LAW

Call and inquire aboutIMMIGRATION REFORM UPDATES718.851.4521

NOW HIRINGREAL ESTATE

AGENTSWill train.

Free monthlyhomebuyer’s

seminars.Call us for more

details andregistration

718-454-9000

DRIVERS WANTEDDon’t pay costly rents or

lease deals! We can financea new vehicle with a smalldown payment. Very busy

Limo company seeks industryexp. drivers with TLC license

w/5 yrs min. exp. With orwithout vehicle. House carsavailable to qualified drivers

522 W37 St. NYC NYCall 212.629-8833

Vinnie Ext. 3224Felix Ext. 3009

Attorney Attorney

RAY INC.

917-340-9623718-756-8023

IFTHE PRICE

IS NOT RIGHTWE MAKE IT

RIGHT

Specialist In Home ImprovementWe Do Roofing Hot & Cold

Gutters & LeadersChimneys Repair & Replace

Any Drain CleaningKitchen & Bath Tiles,

Bonded. Lic & Insured

VISIT US ONLINE @QUEENSPRESS.COM

NUNEZ CONSTRUCTIONWe Specialize InCrack Repairs

also Ceiling, Wall Repairs& Painting

EXPERT WORK ON STOOPSBRICK, BLOCK & CONCRETE7 Days, Lowest Prices Free Estimate

Licensed & Insured

718-219-1257nunezforu.com

Member of Angie’s ListA Rating

Construction

EARLCONSTRUCTION INC.• Light Moving• Bathroom Tiling• Mason Work• Roofing• Siding • Carpentry• Dry Wall • Painting• Gutter CleaningNo Job Too Large or Too Small917-593-3926

Lic.# 1301530 Insured Bonded

ON TOP CONSTRUCTION& ROOFING

We Start / We Finish

15% Senior Discount - FREE ESTIMATESAll Work Guaranteed - Owner Operated Every Job

CELL: 786-763-5888

• Roofing• Shingles• Rubber Roofs• Skylights

• Soffits• Rip-Outs• Waterproofing• Carpentry

• Masonry• Sheetrock• Painting• Power Washing

Family Owned25 Years Exp.

NEED EXTRA CASHTHIS WINTER???

PUT THE SNOW TO WORK FOR YOUCOME JOIN THE AIRPORT CREW

IF YOU CAN PLOW THE SNOWWE CAN MAKE YOUR WALLET GROW

CLEAN BACKGROUND, CLEAN LICENSEHIRING NOW FOR THIS SNOW SEASONCALL FOR INFORMATION 516-239-2123

WWW.SNOWLIFT.COM

HHA/PCAYOU NEED TO WORK AND WE HAVE WORKCHINESE OR SPANISH SPEAKING A PLUSNASSAU COUNTY BASED AGENCY HAS

LIVE-IN WORK F/T; P/T STEADY WEEKENDS &RELIEF IN QUEENS & NASSAU COUNTIES

HOURLY CASES AVAILABLE TOO!NYS CERTIFIED REQUIRED

CALL 516 794-0700 FOR INTERVIEW

SERVICE HELPERSCLEANERS WANTED

To clean grease from exhaustsystems in Restaurants.

No exp. nec. Will train. Must beable to work day and night shifts.

Must have a drivers license.$8.75/hr Holiday/paid vacation

CALL 718-786-6401

SNOW REMOVAL OPERATORS & LABORERSTOP PAY for Snow/Heavy Equip Op’s/CDL Drivers.Valid driver’s license & able to pass a backgroundcheck & drug test. Airports & locations throughoutmetro NY/Queens/LI/NJ. Experience preferred.

Visit www.dejanaindustries.comor call 516-944-3100. EOE.

Sept. 26 - Oct. 2, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 19