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Vol. 41, No. 39 Sept. 29 - Oct. 5, 2011

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Despite the drastic effects the recession has had on the nation and most of New York City, Flushing has continued to grow, thrive and gain jobs, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. By Domenick Rafter…Page 3

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Networking..............Page 24Credit Unions ...........Page 24Realtor Advice .........Page 24

Car Loans ...............Page 25Tax Deductions .........Page 27The Property Market ..Page 28How To Budget .........Page 30

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Queens Deadline

Flushing Grows Despite RecessionBy DOMENICK RAFTER

While the nation and the world have en-dured the greatest economic crisis since theGreat Depression, some in Flushing werewondering “what recession?”

According to a recent study done by StateComptroller Tom DiNapoli, Flushing wasone of the few places in the city – and perhapsthe country – left almost completely unscathedby the recession. DiNapoli announced theresults of the study last Thursday at theSheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in Down-town Flushing.

“We’re here to celebrate a neighborhoodthat is thriving,” DiNapoli said. He appearedwith Flushing’s state and city representativesas well as representatives from the New YorkCity Economic Development Corporationand former Flushing BID chairwoman MabelLaw.

“Flushing saw a 38 percent growth in

business from 2000 through 2009, far sur-passing the 5.7 percent growth in the rest ofthe city,” DiNapoli said.

But even after the financial crisis in 2008sent the country into recession, Flushing’seconomy still prospered. The neighborhoodsaw job growth every year since 2005, evenin 2009 when the rest of the country lost overa million jobs. In 2010, while job growth wastepid nationwide, Flushing saw growth ofmore than 3 percent. Wages, stagnant na-tionwide, grew 16.5 percent in the last de-cade.

“We have not felt the dire effects of therecession as many other neighborhoods inthe city have,” said Assemblywoman GraceMeng (D-Flushing)

DiNapoli’s study points to immigrationand development as the reasons behindFlushing’s success. More than half ofFlushing’s residents are foreign-born; 40

By JOSEPH OROVICThe City’s Economic Development Cor-

poration has allowed $9.3 million intendedfor public benefit projects to languish in itscoffers, according to an audit by City Comp-troller John Liu.

According to the audit, approximately$9.3 million intended for Public PurposeFunds earmarked for various programs hasremained untouched for a prolonged period.Included in the funds is $344,659 set aside in1982 to improve Kaufman Astoria Studios.

“It makes little sense that millions in-tended for economic development remainunused for so long,” Liu said. “If the EDCcan’t figure out how to put the capital to workthen at least return the money to the Citytreasury.”

The EDC claimed Liu’s audit showed thatthe pseudo-agency disbursed most of the $50million in funds, while chalking up the re-maining cash to binding legal agreements.

“We appreciate the Comptroller’s analy-sis, and we’re glad it determined that EDChas disbursed a vast majority of the fundsavailable for community benefit,” said EDCspokesman Pa t r i c k Munc i e . “TheComptroller’s suggestions for the remaining

EDC Sits On Funds,Projects Stalled: Liu

funds may be well-intentioned, but they ig-nore the disbursement restrictions EDC islegally bound to follow, and many are infea-sible or simply not in the best interest of theCity’s taxpayers. We will continue to ensurethat all of the funds are wisely invested in theneighborhoods for which they were in-tended.”

A large chunk of the money, approxi-mately $8.9 million, is meant to improve theHudson River Rail Yard in the Bronx. Thecash set aside for Kaufman Astoria Studioshas lain unused as a result of a binding legalagreement and can only be spent on thepreservation of the studios or improvementof the surrounding areas, according to theEDC.

The agency said moving the funds over tothe City’s coffers requires the approval of theU.S. Dept. of the Interior.

Liu’s audit also found the EDC has failedto collect $725,720 owed by Keyspan, nowNational Grid, which was intended to benefitthe community near the energy company’sLong Island City power plant.

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic atjorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.

By DOMENICK RAFTERU.S. Rep. Bob Turner’s (R-Breezy Point)

stunning victory in a longtime Democraticseat has not seemed to cool the ongoingrivalry within the Queens Republican Party.

The showdown between the party’s offi-cial leadership headed by Phil Ragusa and abreakaway group headed by Bart Haggertyand former Councilman Tom Ognibene con-tinues, even as they planned to hold twoseparate meetings electing a party chair.

The rivalry goes back to when the partywas led by former State Sen. Serphin Malt-ese. Some in the party did not feel Maltesecould lead the party while also serving in theState Senate, so he steppeddown for Ragusa, who was notin elective office, which satis-fied the complaints against Mal-tese.

After Maltese lost his Sen-ate seat in 2008, the wing ofthe party led by the Haggertysand Ognibene have been seek-ing to regain control. The fightnearly jeopardized the party’schances in the 9th Congressional districtwhen some pushed for Turner while others,including Chairman Phil Ragusa, pushed tonominate Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes.Though Turner himself is not directly tied tothe Haggertys, their faction pushed for hiscandidacy, and his victory gave them a shotin the arm.

As of press time, both factions scheduledseparate leadership meetings Wednesdaynight to elect a chairman. Though Ragusa isexpected to still be elected chairman by awide margin, how much support Ognibene,who is the standard bearer for the Haggertyfaction, receives could determine how solidRagusa’s leadership position is. Ognibeneran as a 2010 gubernatorial candidate CarlPaladino’s running mate, though he lost theGOP Lieutenant Governor primary to GregEdwards, County Executive of ChautauquaCounty near Buffalo.

GOP spokesman Robert Hornak saidRagusa’s leadership was assured.

“There is no ambiguity,” he said. “PhilRagusa will continue to be chairman.”

Dual GOP MeetingsShow Rift In Queens

Hornak went on to explain that theHaggerty faction is merely a “distraction”

“[The Haggerty meeting] serves to dis-tract and confuse people,” he added. “They’vegiven no good justification on why Ragusashould not be chairman. He has been muchmore inclusive.”

John Haggerty is currently standing trialfor allegedly stealing more than $1 millionfrom Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s 2009 mayoralcampaign.

The battle comes as some are question-ing whether Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing), who represents a strong Demo-cratic district, may be ready to bolt from the

GOP. Koo endorsed Demo-crat ic Assemblyman DavidWeprin in the 9th Congres-sional District election, whichsources close to the council-man called “a warning shot” tothe GOP.

Hornak and Koo’s Chief ofStaff James McClelland bothdenied Koo is ready to leavethe party. Hornak said the party

respected Koo’s decision to endorse Weprin,citing a long personal relationship betweenthe two.

“We only seek to develop a stronger rela-tionship with [Koo] as time goes on,” Hornaksaid, adding that Koo was loyal to Ragusa.

But sources close to the Republican Partyhave said “inclusiveness” may also be a fac-tor, as some in the Haggerty wing of the partyhave been seen as unfriendly to the growingimmigrant communities, such as Koo’s inFlushing, while Ragusa has sought to reachout to Asian, Hispanic and African-Ameri-can Republicans.

There is also a geographic divide. Ragusa’sfaction controls most of Northeastern, South-eastern and Northwestern Queens includingFlushing, Bayside and Astoria, while theHaggerty faction controls the Western andSouthern parts of the borough includingForest Hills, Middle Village, Howard Beachand the Rockaways.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter atdrafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400 Ext. 125.

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At the opening in July of Sky Foods inside Sky View Center, Flushing’s ecoomyseemed well poised to absorb another massive supermarket, signs of a healthyeconomy.

percent of the neighborhood’s population isChinese. Many of these immigrants haveopened small businesses, which account formore than 90 percent of Flushing’s commer-cial activity.

“The immigrant spirit is a key factortoward the economic success in Flushing,”DiNapoli said.

Development was also a key to growth.Projects like Sky View Center, New WorldMall and Queens Crossing have also added tothe neighborhood’s economic development,at least commercially.

But Flushing’s prosperity is not without itsconsequences. DiNapoli’s study, which wasput together over the course of three monthsusing Census data and statistics from the U.S.Dept. of Labor, confirms the neighborhood’sgrowth has placed a burden on its infrastruc-ture, including transportation, schools andhousing, much of which, especially on thetransportation end, needs updating.

“[The LIRR station] is a third world trainstation,” said Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flush-ing), who said visitors from China, which has

a state-of-the-art train system, are often sur-prised by how dilapidated and antiquated thestation is. The 7 train station at Main Street-Flushing is the busiest in the city outside ofManhattan, and often lines waiting for buseson Main Street can stretch for a block.

Schools in the neighborhood have suf-fered from overcrowding because of the risein families coming to Flushing both fromoutside America and other parts of the coun-try, DiNapoli said. Affordable housing is alsoan ongoing problem.

While celebrating his neighborhood’ssuccess, Koo added that more could be done,including getting rid of what he called “nui-sance fines” on small businesses and unnec-essary regulations. He also endorsed thecity’s ongoing attempts to transform neigh-boring Willets Point.

“We need to change [Willets Point] froman iron triangle to a research triangle,” hesaid.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter atdrafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400 Ext. 125.

“There is noambiguity. PhilRagusa willcontinue to bechairman.”– Robert Hornak

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By JASON BANREYNew York City has seen an all-time low in

adult smoking. Since 2002, the number ofNew Yorkers who smoke has fallen by 35percent.

After nearly a decade of both Mayor MikeBloomberg and the City Council’s interven-tion, approximately 450,000 former adultsmokers are now smoke-free.

Much of the results seen in the significantdrop can be attributed to both state andfederal price hikes on cigarettes as well asCity legislation which gradually placed re-strictions on where people could smoke,making it illegal to light up in restaurants,work places and, more recently, parks,beaches and pedestrian plazas.

In Queens, one group has continued thateffort, educating the potential smokers oftomorrow that taking a puff is just a plain oldbad habit.

“We want these results to be a social normfor our youth,” Yvette Jackson-Buckner,borough manager of Queens Smoke-FreePartnership, said of the city’s results.

Although the number of teenagers whosmoke has dropped dramatically from 2001to 2010, from 18 percent to just 7 percent,the health advocacy group promises to con-tinue educating high school students who areat an impressionable age and have often beentargets of tobacco companies.

According to the partnership, 5,000 highschool students living in the borough smokecigarettes each year, one-third of whom willdie prematurely as a direct result of smoking.

Dedicated towards a tobacco-free society,QSFP has been reaching out to communityboards throughout the borough to share themessage about the prevalence of tobacco

Despite Gains, Smoke Fight Not Wonmarketing in grocery and convenience storesas well as pharmacies.

Making the public aware is just the firststep; bringing the community to rally aroundthe cause is the next.

On Oct. 17, QSFP will hold a tobaccoadvertising tour to let both teenagers andparents know that the more tobacco market-ing they see the more likely kids are to smoke.

“We know that a teen is two to three timeslikely to recall an ad more than an adult,”

By JOSEPH OROVICA mainstay in the borough’s senior care

industry unveiled a major expansion last Fri-day.

Jamaica’s Margaret Tietz Nursing andRehabilitation Center opened its doors toelected officials, local leaders and the com-munity, showing off its state-of-the-art careunits and gym.

“We are so proud of the fact that we’veexpanded our services to so many morecommunities,” said Director of Public Af-fairs Linda Spiegel. “It’s a melting pot, theborough of Queens, and we’re here to ser-vice everybody the best way that we knowhow.”

The additions include upbeat care unitson the rehabilitation floor. Far from the drab,depressing rooms of yesteryear, seniors atMargaret Tietz can enjoy a chic or homey feelto their rooms, as they recover from surgery.

The rehab center also expanded its gym,doubling its size and adding new equipment.

“It’s been a tremendous undertaking for

all involved,” Executive Director JosephSeminaro said of the three-year project.

While not underplaying the importance ofthe upgrade, he emphasized Tietz’s longhistory of providing quality care.

“Mortar and bricks are wonderful but it’s

the heart and soul of the staff thatprovide the best care,” he said.

The gaggle of elected officials onhand took turns telling their ownpersonal connections to the center.Many had family members who re-ceived care from Tietz.

“This is a place that’s very specialto me and everyone I represent,”said Assemblyman Rory Lancman(D-Hillcrest), whose mother spenttime at Tietz.

That so many electeds chose tosend their loved ones to the centerproves its quality, according to StateSen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing).

“We are a tough bunch, the leg-islators,” she said. “We research andwhen we send our loved ones you

know that Margaret Tietz is doing somethingright.”

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic atjorovic@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 127.

Tietz Shows Off Expansion

Jackson-Buckner said. “If kids see ads on theway to and from school, they are more likelyto recall these products.”

“Take a Walk in Our Shoes” will begin inthe auditorium of Long Island City HighSchool and will proceed down Broadwaybetween 21st and 31st streets in Astoriabetween 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Despite the decline in city smokers, thePartnership believes there wil l always be aport ion of the populat ion who wil l be

tempted to l ight up.“Although the results may seem signifi-

cant to us, the tobacco industry will want tofills in those gaps,” Jackson-Buckner said.“That’s why this event is important.”

For more information about the walk callthe Queens Smoke-Free Partnership at (917)848-9205.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey atjbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.

Elected officials and Margaret Tietz administra-tors cut the ribbon at the improved center.

Parker Jewish Institute forHEALTH CARE AND REHABILITATION

271-11 76th Avenue, New Hyde Park, New York 11040-1433

(516) 322-6223

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The Tribune is not responsible fortypographical errors beyond the cost of

the space occupied by the advertisement.Michael Nussbaum

Executive V.P./Associate Publisher

Founded in 1970 by Gary AckermanPublished Weekly

Copyright © 2011 Tribco, LLC

Michael SchenklerPublisher/Editor-in-Chief

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Deputy Editor: Joseph Orovic

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Reporters: Harley Benson, Joseph Orovic, DomenickRafter, Jason Banrey, Veronica Lewin

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Art Department: Sara Gold, Rhonda Leefoon,Candice Lolier, Barbara Townsend

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Queens Tribune (718) 357-7400E-mail Address: news@queenstribune.com

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Donna LawlorElizabeth RiegerShari Strongin

In Your Opinion:

In Our Opinion:

Edit Page

Flushing's VictoryThe news this week that Flushing has stayed in good

economic shape despite the rest of the borough, city andnation reeling from the effects of the current recession iswelcome.

It also shows that a well-financed plan for developmentand managed growth of an immigrant economy is a key forsuccess in Queens - as it has always been.

In the economic collapse of the late 1970s, when Flushingbegan its downhill slide, nobody was sure what could bringit back. It seems the answer is as old as Queens - a new influxof residents from another shore.

New people bring new ideas, new money and new hope.We congratulate Flushing on weathering the storm, and lookto see the how other immigrant groups across the boroughpick up the gauntlet of the challenge issued here: be the nextFlushing.

Who will be next?

Thanks, TribuneTo The Editor:

I write to remind readers of thepower of a great local newspaper.

About five years ago, I wrote acolumn in the Queens Tribuneabout recent New York court deci-sions. Just this past month, a newclient came into my office. He hadclipped the column, and saved it allthese years. He had a new case forme to work on.

In a world of regional and na-tional publications, instant messag-ing, texting and e-mails, there is stillroom for a local newspaper thatgoes into more depth - that gives thereader the background about localcourts, local officials and local leg-islatures.

And readers appreciate thisdepth, and save the articles for yearsat a time.

So, thank you, Queens Tri-bune, for keeping our communityinformed in a way that other mediado not. Our world would be lessinformed without you.

Paul E. Kerson,Forest Hills

No More HandoutsTo The Editor:

Regarding an article in theQueens Tribune about Flushing'sAsian seniors... well let's be honest,it's not just the Asian seniors thathave problems. Why is it in thisneighborhood the non-Asian popu-lation is forgotten?

I want to remind my local politi-cal leaders there is more to Flushingthan the Asian community. Howabout mentioning the problemsother older immigrants are having?

All seniors are in need of affordablehousing, better healthcare and ser-vices. Before my mother passedaway she needed help, a womanwho worked all her life in this coun-try, was born here and paid taxes,and she could not get help when sheneeded it.

So I take some offense when newimmigrants think they may be en-titled to services - and not just Asianimmigrants. This country is not ina position to offer help and hand-outs anymore. If the older popula-tion need help, let them try theirfamilies the way my mother had to.

Mary Ann Boroz,Flushing

War's RealityTo The Editor:

In defense of Ron Paul and TonyBennett:

First of all both Paul and Bennetthave served honorably in the U.S.Military. Bennett saw the horrors ofwar firsthand as he was in combat inWW II. You who have never servedyour country, be careful of how youjudge the patriotism of those thathave.

Both of the above stated that 9-11 was a result of our foreign policyand the "patriots" started scream-ing. What exactly did Paul andBennett mean? If you kill people inanother country you must expectthat they will retaliate. The questionis, is the cause worth our blood tobe shed? If you feel that the cause isworth dying for then you must notbe shocked by the results. Then youmust honor and grieve your deadand go on with your beliefs expect-ing more of the same, hoping thatyour losses were worth it in the end.

We have lost about 3,000 youngmen and women in the Middle Eastwars, but we have killed about30,000 of the enemy. Well, the ap-proximate 100, 000 relatives of ourdead enemy now hate us and aretrying to find ways to avenge theirdead. In a political war that's badenough, but mix religion into theformula and the situation quadruplesin non-solvency.

If you agree that our ongoingwars are the correct thing to do thenaccept the results as horrible as theywill be. On the other hand, Paul andBennett also mourn and honor ourdead as much as anyone else but feelthat their deaths were avoidable;they disagree with our foreignpolicy. They don't believe that ourbeing the policemen of the world issustainable. They believe that weshould bring all our troops that wehave in over 120 countries home todefend our borders.

John Procida,Flushing

A Living WageTo The Editor:

For much of its history, Queenshas thrived as a middle class com-munity, where families could find aquality job, afford a home, educatetheir children and retire comfort-ably. Public policies supported path-ways to access the middle class.Jobs were abundant in both thepublic and private sectors, and of-ten came with healthcare, paid de-cent wages and didn't require acollege degree.

This is no longer true. Today,the jobs crisis is affecting a muchwider cross-section of the Ameri-can population than at any timesince the Great Depression. In 2007,just before the Great Recession be-gan, 7.6 million Americans wereunemployed. Today, that numberhas nearly doubled to 14 million.But this number does not even takeinto account the mass of Americans- approximately 7 million total - whoare underemployed, which meansthey are working fewer hours andearning less than what is required toenter the middle class and achievethe American Dream in places likeQueens.

Queens Congregations United forAction, a faith-based federation ofeight congregations representing11,400 families in Northern Queens,is fueled by a vision where everyonehas access to a good job, which is theprimary pathway to the middle classand the American Dream. We be-lieve the middle class is a value, notjust a group of people, that was bornof a belief in equality and sharedprosperity across social classes.

The Queens Center Mall is anexample of a large employer in ourcity that is contributing to inequal-

ity and cutting off working familiesfrom the middle class. The mall'sowner, the Macerich Company, isreceiving tens of millions of dollarsin taxpayer subsidies. Families fromour community are spending mil-lions of hard-earned dollars at themall every year. Yet, they are find-ing that despite hard work, theycannot earn enough to support theirfamilies with dignity. Too manyhave to choose between a bus fare togo to work and food for the table.We are calling on Macerich to sharemore equitably in the fruits of thelabor of those who work in andshop at the Mall. Hundreds of fami-lies depend on their jobs at theQueens Center Mall to keep food ontheir tables and to pay their rent.Yet, they struggle to do so whenthey are paid at, or little more, thanthe minimum $7.25 an hour.

On Sept. 22, we joined togetherwith our parishioners, Make theRoad NY, the RWDSU, shoppersand other community partners atthe Queens Center Mall to deliverover 5,000 petitions demanding theMacerich Company give somethingback to the community. Our visionis that everyone working in the Mallgets paid a living wage of at least$10 an hour with benefits, and thatmall employers respect the right toorganize a union without threat orintimidation. And that the QueensCenter Mall should provide commu-nity space where programs and ser-vices aimed at youth and their fami-lies can be offered, for things likejob training, job placement, afterschool programs, homework help,and English classes for immigrants.

Our faith, and our shared values,requires us to love our neighbor asourselves. Today, we will call on theQueens Center Mall owner to be abetter neighbor by giving back tothe community and help us rebuildthe middle class.

Fr. Darrell Da Costa,St. Paul the Apostle

Catholic Church, CoronaFr. Pierre-Andre Duvert,Episcopal Church of theResurrection, Elmhurst

Stop GreedTo The Editor:

"The French, They Are FunnyRace," is a phrase from a 1955British fi lm comedy. RepublicanU.S. Reps. Bob Ney of Ohio andWalter Jones of North Carolinadid not think them funny whenthey so strongly and now provenrightly, were against Bush takingus into Iraq.

These two self styled "Patriots"actually managed to convince manylike-minded Conservatives to hence-forth eat only "Freedom Fries" ratherthan those traitorous French Fries.Somehow French Toast survived to

toast yet another day, and althoughCanada was also against the ill con-ceived invasion, it did not get itsCanadian Bacon put on the chop-ping block. Oh those immoralhaughty French.

Perhaps our country could learna little about true patriotism fromthat "Funny Race." Warren Buffetrecently suggested, "an exceptionaltax levy on our nation's wealthy tohelp America manage its debt bur-den." Republicans immediatelycried, "Class Warfare" has beendeclared. Some war: cannons ver-sus pea shooters.

In France, 16 of the wealthiestindividuals have now mimickedWarren Buffet's and voluntarilycalled for a special tax on the wealthyto help manage its own nationaldebt burden. The wealthy pay a toprate of 40 percent, plus, they pay anannual wealth tax on their total as-sets, levying fees of between 0.5 and1.8 percent on assets above $1.1million - not to mention all the otherestate and inheritance and gift taxesand social taxes and corporate taxesand VAT taxes.

Nevertheless, they insist on help-ing their country at this time ofsevere distress. I'm sure some in ourcountry will say they are doing it forsome devious reason, but I thinkPatriotism might be the true defini-tion of that motivation.

Some of the Uber Rich in ourcountry besides Buffet seem to behaving feelings similar to theirFrench counterparts. Stephen ASchwarzman of the BlackstoneGroup, George Soros Fund Man-agement, and others involved inthat "Class War" are coming aboutstating that the minuscule additionaltax they would pay (ss they did priorto the Bush Jr. tax cuts) is irrelevantto their total fortune so they mightas well save the country that gavethem the opportunity to rise to thefinancial heights they have. Hownoble.

Even ou r own M i chae lBloomberg thought that it was theright thing to do. We do howeverhave some like the Koch Bros. whohave no limit to their greed.

As a great humanitarian Senatorfrom Massachusetts once said,"When does the greed stop?"…….andwhen does Patriotism start?

Nicholas Zizelis,Bayside

Got A Beef?WRITE THE

TRIB!150-50 14th Rd.

Whitestone, NY 11357Or you can e-mail the Tribat news@queenstribune.com

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LATFOR: A Sorry Excuse For Good Government

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Henry Stern

By HENRY STERNThe reappor t ion-

ment dance took a fewsteps forward and back-ward as LATFOR (TheNew York State Legis-lat ive Task Force onDemographic Research)held a public hearing inlower Manhattan. Thecommit tee has beentraveling around the state to hearfrom the public, but that is no in-dication that they will respond tothe complaints that have been re-ceived from academics, good gov-ernment groups and potential can-didates.

The first grievance, which hasbeen expressed by speakers whocaught the road show before it ar-rived in New York City, was thatLATFOR should not exist at all, butthat an independent redistrictingcommission should be appointed,rather than leaving the task to theassembly of incumbents now con-ducting the hearings and chargedwith preparing a plan for the ap-proval of the Legislature, the bodythat will be affected by the plan.

The reformers want to preventself-serving par t isan district ing,which fulfills the desires of a po-litical party at the expense of non-members of that party. They wantnonpartisan districting, either thisyear by law or permanently byConstitutional amendment. The in-cumbents’ idea of avoiding one-par t y favorit ism is bi-par t isandistricting, which serves the needsof both the Democratic and Re-publican parties, at the expense ofchallengers and independents of allstripes.

The star witness at the hear-ing was former Mayor Edward I.Koch, co-founder of New York Up-rising, which is a coalition of former

public officials favoring in-dependent non-polit icaldistricting.

Under the Constitu-t ion of the United States,a census of the populationis taken every ten years,and the results determinethe apportionment of seatsin Congress. Because ofNew York State’s compara-

tively slow growth, it will lose twoseats as a result of the 2010 cen-sus. The usual political traditionwhen New York loses two seatshas been to take one upstate Re-publican seat and one downstateDemocratic seat. The situation hasbeen complicated since 2010 bythe departure of three members ofCongress from New York Statebecause of sexual misconduct, inthree cases different from eachother and all involving unrequiteddesires.

The custom in New York hasbeen for the Democrats to drawAssembly district lines and theRepublicans the Senate lines. Forseats in Congress, the parties hadto reach agreement on districtboundaries. Because of changingdemographics and social attitudes,the Republican hold on the Sen-ate is becoming ever more tenu-ous. A law adopted when the Sen-ate was in Democratic handschanged the districts that wouldbenefit from the head count of in-mates from the upstate countieswere they were incarcerated, pro-viding employment to local resi-dents, to the downstate countieswhere they lived while committingthe crimes, largely, felonies thatresulted in their being sent upstate.

Some people want the Demo-crats to win both houses, so re-sponsibility for whatever happensor does not happen can be placed

on one party. Others prefer a di-vided legislature, so that conser-vatives as well as liberals will beheard. A number of players pub-licly prefer domination by theirown party, but their private opin-ion is another matter. Commonsense tells us that moderate gov-ernment is more l ikely to beachieved under diverse leadershipthan when the legislature is underthe control of one party. A politi-cal system dominated by eitherparty tends to reduce the impor-tance of general elections and in-crease the effect of party prima-ries, where the more extreme mem-bers of each party have propor-tionately greater influence, in partbecause independents are forbid-den to vote.

Redistricting will be an impor-tant issue in the months to come,and much was said on the subject.The argument is not ideological,the left against the right, the spend-ers against the savers, or liberalsagainst social conservatives. Theissue here is one of equity and fair-ness, of expressing the wishes ofthe people, as opposed to thosein both par t ies who would ma-nipulate the system, deny ballotaccess to challengers, preserve in-cumbents by any means available,and place individual legislators un-der the thrall of the legislative lead-ership, where any expression ofautonomy is punished.

The New York State legisla-ture, periodically derided as themost dysfunctional in the UnitedStates, has earned its ill repute, notonly through acts of dishonesty bymembers of both houses, some ofwhich have resulted in prison sen-tences, but by an arbitrary systemof rules and protective walls aroundthe leadership, so that although thegreat majority of the members are

honest, there is little they can ac-complish without the consent ofmen who, to put it politely, aremore responsive to special inter-ests and individual desires, oftenpaid for by political contributions.

To allow the leaders to retainthe power to choose their follow-ers by drawing their districts con-demns the backbenchers to littlemore authority than their constitu-ents, who may decennial ly bemoved like cattle from one districtto another to serve the politicalinterests of those whose lack ofresponsibility and desire for re-elec-tion have helped give rise to thestate’s now acute financial prob-lems.

Do not take this commentaryas indicating that any par t icularlegislator is better or worse thanany other. Some considered para-gons of vir tue may never havebeen subject to temptation. Oth-

ers usually reviled are not onlysmarter than most others but arebet ter pol i t ic ians. And whenpeople elected to high office asreformers are found to have sev-eral screws loose which preventpositive interaction with otherpeople, the dist inction betweenintel lect and insanity becomesdifficult to find.

But regardless of their intel-lect, ability, integrity or state ofrage, all public officials should runin honestly drawn districts, equalin size, compact and contiguous,and linking communities by inter-est. Political boundaries should notbe perpetrated on the public byself-serving incumbents, who havesystematically manipulated theelectoral system to serve their per-sonal needs at the expense of thepublic interest in honest govern-ment.

StarQuest@NYCivic.org

Political Panel Praises Partisan Redistricting

By MICHAEL SCHENKLERIt’s pret ty black and white.

The New York State Legislaturehas been the most dysfunctionalin the nation for well over the pastdecade.

Every ten years, they get thechance to start anew. The law re-quires a redrawing of legislativedistricts based on the change inpopulation as compiled by theUnited States Census, taken everyten years.

Well, when it comes to theNew York State Legislature, youcan be pretty damn sure that you’llfind consistency. Even though amajority of legislators pledged,during the last election cycle, tosupport independent, non-part i-san redistricting, they are back tothe same old, same old. The“pledge” was part of a campaignof New York Uprising, an organi-zation formed by former Mayor EdKoch to demand that redistrictingbe done on the basis of commu-nity and not to provide for thepolitical needs of the parties andthe incumbents.

How does the Legislature re-spond?

They appoint the LegislativeTask Force on Demographic Re-search — known as LATFOR – andsend them around the state to holdhearings.

In Albanese, LATFOR meansstooges for the Legislative Lead-ers. As long as the heavy hands of

the leaders of the Senate and As-sembly are guiding the process,they are really drawing the maps.

While it was the Senate Re-publicans who with unanimity sup-por ted the “pledge” and nowunanimously find an excuse to pro-ceed to be integral in the processinstead of establishing an indepen-dent commission, I believe the en-tire legislature is complicit in theprocess. The protest s we hearfrom members – and they are veryfew – appear to be coming fromthe Democratic State Senators whostand to lose the most if the Re-publicans are again allowed to ger-rymander the lines to try to keeptheir party the majority in a Statewhere the registration overwhelm-ingly favors the Democrats.

We wonder, if the Dems hadnot blown their one chance in thesun by total incompetence after2008, the one election in 40 plusyears that they controlled the Sen-ate, if they would have championed

an independent commission.We don’t hear the Democratic

Assemblymembers complaining.They know, that ult imately theirleader will be the one who guidesthe mapmakers’ hands in drawingthe new district. And the leader hasalways protected the members.

It is more about incumbencyand less about party.

Yes, the game has always beena bi-partisan effort to make sureincumbents have districts they canwin. The Dems control the Assem-bly maps and the Republicans, theSenate. And the lack of competi-tive races continues to stifle thetrue election process in govern-ment to the detriment of thepeople.

Yes, when the legislature con-trols the redistricting process, thewinners are the incumbent legisla-tors, the legislative leadership andthe special interests that continueto fund the nation’s most dysfunc-tional legislature.

The losers are the people.As those of you who are fol-

low ing the proce ss know, thecopouts begin flying right after theelect ion. It happens every t ime.And what promised to be a semi-nal moment in reforming the NewYork State Legislature, has revertedto the same abyss that has markedtheir performance for much of ourlifetimes.

Is there a hero in the room?Perhaps.But sometimes heroes bargain

and trade instead of being heroic.There are budgets and legis-

lative programs that also need thevote of the legislature and they canbe held hostage to enforce theirinvolvement in redistricting.

But true heroes can withstandthe threats of future votes and thetemptation to trade.

We wonder if Andrew Cuomo,an early signer of the “pledge,” istruly a hero of reform.MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

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Not ice o f fo rmat ion o fA p p l a u d M e . c o mLLC. Ar t i c l e s o f Orgf i l ed w i th the Sec re ta ryof State of NY SSNY on 07/07/11 . Of f i ce loca ted inQueens, NY. SSNY has beendes igna ted fo r se rv i ceof process. SSNY shall mailcopy o f any p rocessserved against the LLC 11555205 Street St. Albans, NY11412 . Pu rpose : anylawful purpose._____________________________________________________________ART ICLES OFORGAINIZAT ION OFOmega General Contracting,LLC. Under Section 203 ofthe Limited Liability Com-pany Law. FIRST. The nameof the limited liability com-pany is Omega General Con-tracting, LCC SECOND. Thecounty within this state inwhich the l imited l iabil itycompany is to be located isQueens. THIRD: The secre-tary of state is designated asagent of the limited liabilitycompany upon whom pro-cess against it may be served.The address within or with-out this state to which theSecretary of State shall mail acopy of any process acceptedon behalf of the limited liabil-ity company served upon himor her is: 48-57 207th Street,Bayside, New York 11364.FOURTH: The name andstreet address in this state ofthe registered agent uponwhom and at which processagainst the limited liabilitycompany may be served isJonathan Christ, 48-57 207th

Street, Bayside, New York11364 . IN WITNESSWHEREOF, the undersignedhas executed these Articlesof Organization on the datebelow. LegalZoom.com, Inc.,Organizer Date: Ju ly 20,2011 /s/Imelda Vasquez By:Imelda Vasquez, AssistantSecretary 101 N. Brand Blvd.,11 th F loor G lenda le , CA91203_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ERRA REALTY LLC, a domes-tic LLC. Arts. of Org. filedwith the SSNY on 12/22/2010 . Of f i ce loca t ion :Queens County. SSNY hasbeen designated as agentupon whom process againstthe LLC may be served. SSNYshall mail process to: 37-3521st St, Long Island City, NY11106. Purpose: Any LawfulPurpose._____________________________________________________________Not i ce o f Fo rmat ion o fWhitney Ave Unit 3B RealtyLLC. Arts. of Org. filed withNY Dept. of State on 7/14/11. Office location: QueensCounty. Sec. of State desig-nated as agent of LLC uponwhom process against it maybe served and shall mail pro-cess to: P.O. Box 962, NY, NY10002. Purpose: any lawfulactivity._____________________________________________________________Notice of formation of WULAW FIRM, PLLC. Articles ofOrganization filed with theSecretary of State of NewYork SSNY on 8/18/2011.Office located in QueensCounty. SSNY has been des-ignated for service of pro-cess. SSNY shall mail copy ofany process served againstthe LLC to 766 VETERANSPLACE, CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ

LEGAL NOTICELEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

07010. Purpose: any lawfulpurpose._____________________________________________________________32-66 35TH ST., LLC, a do-mestic Limited Liability Com-pany (LLC), filed with the Secof State of NY on 7/28/11.NY Office location: QueensCounty. SSNY is designatedas agent upon whom processaga ins t the LLC may beserved SSNY shall mail a copyof any process against theLLC served upon him/her toThe LLC, 32-66 35th St., Apt.A-2, Astoria, NY 11106. Gen-eral Purposes._____________________________________________________________VISALO REALTY LLC, a do-mestic Limited Liability Com-pany (LLC), filed with the Secof State of NY on 6/24/96.NY Office location: QueensCounty.š SSNY is designatedas agent upon whom processaga ins t the LLC may beserved.š SSNY shall mail acopy of any process againstthe LLC served upon him/her to c/o Ventura LandCorp . , 149 -45 Nor the rnBlvd., Ste. 6V, Flushing, NY11354. General Purposes_____________________________________________________________DURANGO FUNDING, LLC,a domestic LLC. Arts. of Org.filed with the SSNY on 06/09/2011. Off ice location:Queens County. SSNY hasbeen designated as agentupon whom process againstthe LLC may be served. SSNYshall mail process to: 42-01235th St, #1A, Douglaston,NY 11363. Purpose: Any Law-ful Purpose.________________________________________MARCIA’S CATERING LLC,a domestic Limited LiabilityCompany (LLC), filed withthe Sec of State of NY on 5/27/11. NY Office location:Queens County.š SSNY isdesignated as agent uponwhom process against the LLCmay be served.š SSNY shallmail a copy of any processagainst the LLC served uponhim/her to The LLC, 225-11108th Ave., Queens Village,NY 11429. General Purposes_____________________________________________________________BAY NORTH LLC, a domesticLimited Liabil ity Company(LLC), filed with the Sec ofState of NY on 8/5/11. NYOf f i ce loca t ion : QueensCounty. SSNY is designatedas agent upon whom processaga ins t the LLC may beserved. SSNY shall mail acopy of any process againstthe LLC served upon him/her to The LLC, 206-06 23rd

Ave., Bayside, NY 11360.General Purposes._____________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of MHAGROUP HOLDINGS LLC, adomestic LLC. Arts. of Org.filed with the SSNY on 8/25/2011 . Of f i ce loca t ion :Queens County. SSNY hasbeen designated as agentupon whom process againstthe LLC may be served. SSNYshall mail a copy of processto: 23-39 BQE West, Astoria,NY 11103. Purpose: Any Law-ful Purpose._____________________________________________________________Not i ce o f Fo rmat ion o fGREAT G & J II LLC. Arts. ofOrg. filed with Secy. of Stateof NY (SSNY) on 8/25/11.Of f i ce loca t ion : QueensCounty. SSNY designated asagent of LLC upon whomprocess against it may be

served. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to princ. bus. loc.: c/oThe LLC, 35-06 FarringtonSt., Flushing, NY 11354. Pur-pose: any lawful activity._____________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of 134-59 Bedell LLC. Art. of Org.filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 1/10/11. Principal Office: 601Chestnut St. B20 Cedarhurst,NY, Nassau County. SSNYdesignated as process agent.Process Service address: 601Chestnut St. B20 Cedarhurst,NY. Purpose: any lawful ac-tivity._____________________________________________________________PD 54th LLC. Arts. of Org.filed with Secy. of State of NY(SSNY) on 6/1/11. Office inQueens County. SSNY des-ignated agent of LLC uponwhom process against it maybe served. SSNY shall mailprocess to C/O Park DriveEqu i t ies , 125 -10 QueensBlvd. Ste 224, Kew Gardens,NY 11415. Purpose: General._____________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of NCCPhysical Therapy Care a do-mestic PLLC. Arts. of Org.filed with the SSNY on 8/5/2011 . Of f i ce Loca t ion :Queens County. SSNY hasbeen designated as agentupon whom process againstthe PLLC may be served.SSNY shall mail process to:22519 113th Ave. QueensVillage, NY 11429. Purpose:any lawful purpose._____________________________________________________________The NYC Board of Standardsand Appeals has scheduled apublic hearing on the follow-ing appl icat ion: Var iance(§72-21) to allow for the en-largement of an existing syna-gogue (Congregation Ohel),contrary to floor area, lotcoverage (ZR 24-11), frontyard (§24-34), side yard (ZR24-35), rear yard (§24-36) andparking (§25-31). R2A zon-ing district. Address: 226-10Franc is Lewis Boulevard ,1,105’ west of Francis LewisBoulevard, Block 12825, Lot149, Borough of Queens.Applicant: The Law Office ofFredrick A. Becker, for Con-gregat ion Othel , owners .Community Board No.: 13QThis application, Cal. No.:35-11-BZ, has been calen-dared for Public Hearing onTuesday , Sep tember 27 ,2011, 1:30 P.M., session, 40Rector Street, 6th floor Hear-ing Room “E”, Borough ofManhattan. Interested per-sons or associations may ap-pear at the hearing to presenttestimony regarding this ap-plication. This application canbe reviewed at the Boardoffices, Monday through Fri-day, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Thisnotice is published by theapplicant in accordance withthe Rules of Procedure of theBoard of Standards and Ap-peals. Dated: September 7,2011 Law Office of FredrickA. Becker, Applicant.____________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of AAGJREALTY, LLC. Arts. of Org.filed with Secy. of State of NY(SSNY) on 9/9/10. Office lo-ca t ion : Queens County .Princ. Office of LLC: 450B131 St., Belle Harbor, NY11694. Latest date on whichthe LLC may dissolve is 12/31/2060. SSNY designatedas agent of LLC upon whom

process against it may beserved. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to the LLC, 421 WillisAve . , Wi l l i s ton Park , NY11596. Purpose: Any lawfulactivity.___________________________________________________________NOTICE OF FORMATIONGOURMAND FAMILY LIM-ITED PARTNERSHIP County:QUEENS Cert. of Ltd. Part-nership filed NY Sec. of State(SSNY) 8/08/2011 des ig -nated as agent of LP uponwhom process against it maybe served. SSNY shall mailcopy of process to: 84-61Abingdon Rd., Kew Gardens,NY 11415 Latest Date of Dis-solution: 12/31/2061 Pur-pose: all lawful business pur-poses____________________________________________________________At a Term of the SupremeCourt in and for the Countyof Queens at IAS Part , 88-11Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NewYork, on the 17 day of Au-gust, 2011 P R E S E N T: Hon.Bernice D. Siegal Justice In-dex No. 18204, 2011 In theMatter of the Application ofJARNAIL SINGH, a director,former president and mem-ber, KULBIR SINGH, JAGIRSINGH, ORDER TO SHOWCAUSE GURCHARANSINGH, & HARBANS SINGH,members, Petitioners For theJudicial Dissolutio-n, pursu-ant to the Not-for-Profit Cor-poration Law §1102, of BABAMAKHAN SHAH LOBANASIKH CENTER, INC., a NewYork Not-for-Profit Corpora-tion, and the Attorney Gen-eral of the State of New York,and the New York State De-partment of Taxation and Fi-nance, Respondents. UPONREADING and filing the peti-tion of Jarnail Singh, dulyverified on the 1st day ofAugust, 2011, and the exhib-its annexed thereto, fromwhich it appears that theBABA MAKHAN SHAHLOBANA S IKH CENTER ,INC., is a domestic not-for-profit corporation having itsprincipal place of business inthe County of Queens, Cityand State of New York, andthat the said petitioner is adirector and member (formerPresident) of said corpora-tion, and that the membersare so divided that the votesrequired for the election ofd i rec to r s cannot be ob -tained, that there is internaldissension and two or morefactions of members are sodivided that the dissolutionof the corporation would bebeneficial to the members,and that the corporation isno longer capable of carry-ing out its stated purposes,and it appears that the corpo-ration should be dissolvedpursuant to the Not-for-ProfitCorporation Law §1102(B),it is ORDERED, that the re-spondents and all persons in-terested in the corporation,Baba Makhan Shah LobanaSikh Center Inc. show causebefore this Court on the 5th

day of October, 2011, atIAS Part 19, Room 48 , 88-11Sutphin Blvd, Jamaica, NewYork, 11435, at 9:30 AM inthe forenoon of that day.WHY an order should not bemade dissolving the said cor-poration according to therules and practices of thisCourt; and it is FURTHER

ORDERED, that a copy of thisorder be published at leastonce each week for the threeweeks immediately preced-ing the aforesaid return date,in the Queens Tribune News-paper, published in QueensCounty, City and State ofNew York, that being thecounty in which this order sentered; and it is FURTHERORDERED, that said corpora-tion, its officers and direc-tors, furnish the Court with aschedule of all informationknown and ascer ta inablewith due diligence concern-ing the Baba Makhan ShahLobana Sikh Center Inc., in-cluding a statement of thecorporate assets and liabili-ties, and the name and ad-dress of each member and ofeach creditor and claimant,including any with unliqui-dated or contingent claimsand any with whom the cor-poration has unfulfilled con-tracts, and that a copy of thisOrder to Show Cause beserved personally or by mailin accordance with the provi-sions of the Not-For-ProfitCorporation Law, upon allpersons or entities so namedin such schedule; and it isFURTHER ORDERED, thatEmanuel R. Gold , be and hehereby is appointed as tem-porary receiver of all the prop-erty, real and personal, thingsin action, assets nd effectsbelonging to or held by thesaid corporation or in its pos-session, or possession towhich it is entitled, with theusual powers and duties thatare defined as belonging to atempora ry rece ive r ap -pointed in an action underthe provisions of the CivilPractice Law and Rules; andit is FURTHER ORDERED, thatbefore entering upon theduties of his receivership,said receiver shall procureand file with the Clerk ofQueens County a surety com-pany bond or a bond withtwo sufficient sureties to thePeople of the State of NewYork, in the penal sum of$150,000, conditioned forthe faithful discharge by thesaid receiver of the duties ofhis trust, said bond to beapproved as to its sufficiencyand manner of execution bya Just ice of the SupremeCourt, and upon filing of saidbond thus approved said re-ceiver is authorized to takepossession of and sequesterall property, real and per-sonal, things in action, ef-fects and assets belonging toor held by said corporationor in its possession or towhich it is entitled to pos-sess; and it is FURTHER OR-DERED, that said receiver,upon filing said bond, shallhave all the powers and au-thority and be subject to allthe duties and liabilities of apermanent receiver as pro-vided by law and the practiceof this Court, except that heshall not make any distribu-tion of the property in hishands among the creditors ofthe corporation, or to anymember of the corporationbefore the final order in thisproceeding, unless he is spe-cifically directed to do so bythe Court; and it is FURTHERORDERED, that all money ofthe said corporation which

may come into the hands ofsaid receiver shall be depos-ited by him in the SterlingBank , loca ted a t 89 -04Sutphin Blvd. Jamaica, NY11435, to his credit as suchreceiver, to be held by thesaid bank subject to furtherorder of this Court; and SUF-FICIENT CAUSE APPEARINGTHEREFOR, it is ORDERED,that all persons, and espe-cially creditors of the corpo-ration, and each and everyone of them, be, and they arehereby en jo ined and re -strained from bringing anyactions against the said cor-poration for the recovery ofa sum of money and fromtaking any further proceed-ings whatsoever in any suchac t ion he re to fo re com-menced; and it is ORDERED,that the corporation and itsdirectors and off icers arehereby enjoined from trans-acting any unauthorized busi-ness, exercising any corpo-rate powers, collecting orreceiving any debt or otherproperty of the corporation,and from paying out or other-wise transferring or deliver-ing any property of the cor-poration, except by permis-sion of this court; and SUFFI-CIENT CAUSE APPEARINGTHEREFOR, service of a copyof this Order to Show Causeand the papers upon which itis based, upon the respon-dent Baba Makhan ShahLobana Sikh Center , Inc.personally or by certi f iedma i l , r e tu rn rece ip t re -quested, and upon the Secre-tary of State of the State ofNew York, and upon the At-torney General of the State ofNew York and the New YorkState Tax Department, bydelivery to their offices, on orbefore the 31st day of August,2011, be deemed sufficient.E N T E R: /s/Bernice SiegalJustice of the Supreme CourtHon. Bernice D. Siegal____________________________________________________________N & K MIHALIOS REALTY,LLC, a domestic LLC. Arts. ofOrg. filed with SSNY on 08/09/2011. Off ice location:Queens County. SSNY hasbeen designated as agentupon whom process againstthe LLC may be served. SSNYshall mail process to: NickMihalios, 27-05 and 27-07Newtown Avenue, Astoria,NY 11102. Purpose: Any Law-ful Purpose.____________________________________________________________US CLAIM FUNDING LLC, adomestic Limited Liabi l i tyCompany (LLC), filed withthe Sec of State of NY on 6/15/11. NY Office location:Queens County . SSNY isdesignated as agent uponwhom process against the LLCmay be served. SSNY shallmail a copy of any processagainst the LLC served uponhim/her to Zoya Aminova,219-26 Peck Ave., Hollis Hills,NY 11427 . Genera l Pur -poses.___________________________________________________________Dunner Capital LLC. Arts. ofOrg. filed with Secy. of Stateof NY (SSNY) on 8/3/11. Of-fice in Queens County. SSNYdes ignated agent of LLCupon whom process againstit may be served. SSNY shallmail process to 141-19 73Ave, Flushing, NY 11367.Purpose: General.

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By LILLY O’DONNELLIt might soon be time for Astoria to forget

about Amnesia Nightclub.There have been six arrests and 17 police

reports at the troubled nightclub since Janu-ary 2010, according to Community AffairsOfficer Eddie Negron of the 114th Precinct.Four of the arrests and 10 of the reports werefor assault.

“It’s one of the most problematic premisesin the 114th Precinct,” he said at a Commu-nity Board 1 meeting on Sept. 20.

Astoria is known to have a bustlingnightlife, and a few other establishmentshave trouble with noise complaints fromtheir residential neighbors – one bar has 54– but Amnesia is on a commercial block; itpresumably would not have any problems ifthey played by the rules.

The club draws a young crowd sincepatrons can be 18 to enter. Security gives“of age” wristbands at the door only afterchecking IDs with flashlights, but once thekids are inside there is nothing stoppingpeople with wristbands from buying drinksfor them.

The members of Community Board 1gasped and muttered when Officer Negronrevealed that four of the six arrests had beenfor the sale of alcohol to a minor. When hefollowed up with the fact one of the arrestsand 10 of the police reports had been forassault, the board voted to do what they couldto shut the place down.

The other arrest was for a warrant and theother seven police reports were for lost orstolen property.

While community boards do not have thedirect authority to close a business, they canrecommend that the State Liquor Authority

CB Hopes To Make Bar A Memorynot renew their license – which would crippleany bar.

The nightclub’s current liquor license willexpire on Halloween of this year, accordingto the State Liquor Authority. The first stepof renewal is to notify the community boardthat an application is forthcoming, with atleast 30 days notice, so they can vote on arecommendation. That first step did not goso well for Amnesia this time around.

Community Board 1 has made only oneother recommendation that a liquor license

not be renewed in the last six months, regard-ing a strip club called XXO, District ManagerLucille Hartman said in an interview. Hartmansaid that they do not write these recommen-dations for every little offense, but that theyplan to in this case because of the violenceassociated with Amnesia.

“It’s my party spot,” said Danielle Oden,18, while waiting in line to get into the club.“I would be sad if it closed.” She said she hadnever seen any violence at Amnesia, notingthat security is always tight at the door – bags

are thoroughly searched and partygoers pat-ted down.

Another patron said she had seen violencebreak out. Crystal Ramos, 20, said she hadonly been to Amnesia a couple of times anddid not want to make the club sound bad. Shedeclined to elaborate on the fight she hadwitnessed, saying the environment is mostly“just fun and social.”

Club management and security declinedto comment.

By JASON BANREYCommunity residents and business own-

ers in Jackson Heights are upset about theabundance of newsstands sprouting up inthe already-congested neighborhood, andone City Councilman is promising to put anend to it.

On Monday, Councilman Danny Dromm(D-Jackson Heights) gathered with local resi-dents and community groups protesting theplacement of newsstands in the area’s “dan-gerously crowded streets”

“Our community has been told to go tohell,” Dromm shouted with his fist raisedamongst nearly 50 supporters protesting theconstruction of a newsstand on the nor th-east corner of 74th Street and 37th Road inJackson Heights. “My new definition ofcrazy now is put ting another newsstand inthis community.”

Since 2009, community residents havestood against the construction of more news-stands within an area saturated with conve-

nience stores and shops which already sellthe same products.

Earlier this month, Community Board 3unanimously opposed the Dept. of Con-sumer Affairs’ proposals to build three morenewsstands in an area the Dept. of Trans-portation deemed the most congested in theneighborhood.

According to the Jackson Heights Trans-por tation Study, which surveyed commuterhabits, pedestrian volume at 74th Street and37th Road was the highest of the entireneighborhood and had the greatest amountof pedestrian crashes as well as injuries oc-curred at the intersection.

CB3 is asking the City for a moratoriumof all additional street furniture.

“We invite the Dept. of Consumer Af-fairs, DOT and the Art Commission to visitour community and see what is happening,”said CB3 District Manager Giovanna Reid.“We believe that they will concur that notone more piece of new street furniture is

needed in our distr ict.”For 20 years, Enrico Santi has been the

manager of Brown’s Army Navy Store,which sits only five feet from the newsstandcurrently under construction. Throughoutthat time, he has witnessed the influx of resi-dents in the area and has witnessed the po-tential dangers of placing a newsstand at acorner in need of more space to accommo-date pedestrian traffic.

“At rush hour, this corner sees hundredsof pedestrians, all at once,” Santi said. “Put-t ing a newsstand will only create a bot tle-neck on the sidewalk, sending commutersin the middle of the street which already hasheav y traffic.”

Dromm is drafting legislation that will givecommunity boards and their City Councilrepresentatives final say on the placement ofnewsstands as well as other street furniture.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey atjbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.

No Space For Stand In Heights

L’ Shanah TovahMay the New Year

bring contentment and peace

and may good health and joy be with you

through a sweet New Year

7800 MYRTLE AVENUE, GLENDALE, NY 11385

(718) 821-0200

From the Management & Staff

of Mount Lebanon Cemetery

Undergraduate Graduate Professional & Continuing Studies 65-30 Kissena Blvd. Flushing, NY 11367 718.997.5600

GRADUATE Wednesday, October 5 1 6:30–8 pm Student Union

UNDERGRADUATE Sunday, November 6 1 Noon–3 pm Dining Hall

RSVP at www.qc.cuny.edu/QT

OPEN HOUSEMeet faculty, tour our new residence hall, and learn about QC’s more than 60 majors, honors programs, clubs, and sports.

Meet Your Future

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May the New Year be

one of joy and

friendship, hope & peace

Congressman

GARY L. ACKERMAN

Paid For And Authorized by Ackerman For Congress

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By RAMIRO FÚNEZSymbols of hope illuminated the dark

trails of a Queens park last weekend.The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

hosted its annual Light The Night Walk atForest Park on Saturday, drawing in morethan 2,000 attendants to raise money forblood cancer research.

Participants lit candle balloons of varyingcolors to show how they have been affectedby leukemia and lymphoma: red balloonssymbolized supporters of blood cancer re-search; white balloons marked survivors ofblood cancer; and gold balloons representedthe memory of a loved one who died afterdeveloping blood cancer.

The event featured food from sponsoringrestaurants, performances by youth groupsand a memorial ceremony.

Margaret Bargn, spokeswoman for theNew York City Chapter of the Leukemia andLymphoma Society, felt the walk was a perfectway to honor those who died of blood cancerwhile raising money to fight the illness.

"It's inspiring," Bargn said."While it is a serious event, it is still

lighthearted and it's a great way to com-memorate those who lost their lives to can-cer. It's a really nice way for people to gettogether and meet other people who havebeen going through the same thing, to raisemoney to prevent it," Bargn added.

According to the Leukemia and Lym-phoma Society, an estimated one millionAmericans are living with blood cancer. Theorganization also reports that every 10 min-

2,000 Candles Shine,Bring Hope At Walk

utes, someone dies from the disease.Along with publishing information and

statistics on leukemia and lymphoma, theLeukemia and Lymphoma Society also in-vests money into blood cancer research cen-ters. In 2011, the organization was able tofundraise more than $814 million from eventslike Light The Night.

"It's pretty remarkable when the sky isdark and everyone turns on their balloonsand you see a sea of balloons lit up and howmany people have been affected by bloodcancer," Bargn said.

"It's a great event and we hope it keepshappening," she added.

André Louis, a planning committee mem-ber of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,said he felt a personal connection to the walk.

"Tonight's event is special for us becausewe are celebrating our daughter's 10-yearrecovery from growing up with leukemia,"Louis said.

"That's why we're a part of the committee- to organize it and walk in it. We've beenwalking for eight years," he added.

Aside from Light The Night walks, theLeukemia and Lymphoma Society has begunadvocating for a bill that would make oralversions of chemotherapy readily available touninsured patients of lower socioeconomicbackgrounds.

For more information on the organiza-tion, visit lls.org.

Reach In te rn Rami ro Fùnez a tinterns@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124.

By DOMENICK RAFTERThe eight children taken from a foster care

facility in Forest Hills last week have beenfound alive and well hundreds of miles awayin Harrisburg, Penn., and their parents areunder arrest, charged with their kidnapping.

Shanel Nadal, 28 and Nephra Payne, 34,of Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan allegedlyabducted their eight children ranging fromages 11 months to 12 years from the ForestdaleAgency facility at 67-35 112th St. in ForestHills during a supervised visit at around 5:15p.m. on Sept. 19.

The parents were arrested on Monday inHarrisburg by members of the U.S. MarshalsService Regional Fugitive Task Force, includ-ing members of the NYPD, after they werepulled over in a black Ford Econoline atapproximately 10:20 p.m. Both defendantsand all of the eight missing children were inthe vehicle. The parents will be charged withsecond-degree kidnapping, first- and second-degree custodial interference and endanger-

Abducted Kids Founding the welfare of a child. They are presentlyawaiting extradition to Queens.

"This is a sad story of a mother and fatherwho have jeopardized their children's safetyby allegedly kidnapping them and takingthem out of state," said Queens DA RichardBrown, whose office will handle the prosecu-tion. "These parents have now also put at riskthe very relationships they were supposed tobe building with their children during theirsupervised visits. Kidnapping and endanger-ing children is a serious matter that will notbe taken lightly."

The children were under the care of theAdministration for Children Services andwere living in foster homes in SoutheastQueens. ACS said they were cooperatingwith police and investigating how the par-ents were able to get their eight children outof the facility in broad daylight.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter atdrafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400 Ext. 125.

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Walkers gather shortly before sunset to pay tribute to those lost and to honorthose fighting.

LEGAL NOTICELEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

SURROGATE’S COURT –QUEENS COUNTY SUPPLE-MENTAL CITATION File No.2004-2032/D THE PEOPLEOF THE STATE OF NEWYORK By the Grace of God,Free and Independent, To:Doro thy E . Sex ton andBeatrice L. Barrett if livingand if dead, to their heirs atl aw , nex t o f k in anddistr ibutees whose namesand places of residence areunknown and if they diedsubsequent to the decedentherein, to their executors,administrators, legatees, de-visees, assignees and succes-sors in interest whose nameand places of residence areunknown and to all other heirsa t l aw , nex t o f k in andd i s t r ibu tees o f GEORGESALADINO, the decedentherein, whose names andplaces of residence are un-known and cannot after dili-gent inquiry be ascertained,being persons interested ascreditors, legatees, devisees,beneficiaries, distributees orotherwise of the estate ofGeorge Saladino, deceased,who at the time of death re-sided at 3706 80th Street,Apt. 4G, Jackson Heights,New York 11376. A Petitionhaving been duly filed byRashmin Master, who is do-miciled at 228 Linden Lane,Upper Brookville, NY 11545,YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TOSHOW CAUSE, before theSurrogate’s Court, QueensCounty at 88-11 SutphinBlvd., Jamaica, NY, on No-vember 3, 2011, at 9:30 a.m.WHY an Order should not beentered authorizing RashminMaster, as Executor of theEstate of George Saladino,to: I. Allocate the entirety ofthe net proceeds of thesettlement of the Bus Acci-dent Lawsui t , which wassettled for six hundred thou-sand dollars ($6,000,000.00),to the conscious pain andsuffering of the Decedent;and II Distribute the proceedsmaintained in escrow, re-maining after payment of at-torneys fees and disburse-ments, to be distributed inaccordance with Decedent’swill, as follows: 1/3 to each ofCharlotte Thorngren, DevMaster and Deep Master (asmodified slightly by the Oc-tober 30, 2007 Stipulation ofSettlement); and III. Modifyany restrictions in the Lettersissued to Petitioner to theextent necessary to carry outthe provisions of such de-cree; and IV. Dispense withthe filing of a bond; and V.Judicially settle Petitioner’sAccount; A copy of which isAttached. VI . Grant suchother and further relief asmay be just and proper; VII.And to distribute all otherassets of the Estate as per theWill. Dated: SEP 13 2011(Seal) HON. PETER J. KELLY,Su r roga te Marga re t M.Gribbon Chief Clerk MarcA. Stadtmauer, Esq. Attorneyfor Petitioner (212) 986-6200Te lephone NumberStadtmauer & Associates 230Park Avenue Suite 2525, NewYork, NY 10169 Address ofAttorney NOTE: This citationis served upon you as re-quired by law. You are notobliged to appear in person.You have a right to have an

attorney appear for you. Ifyou fail to appear it will beassumed that you do not ob-ject to the relief requested.____________________________________________________________ARTICLES OF ORGANIZA-TION OF BRIAN KRAMER &ASSOCIATES, PLLC UnderSection 1203 of the LimitedLiability Company Law FIRST:The name of the professionalservice limited liability com-pany is: BRIAN KRAMER &ASSOCIATES , PLLC SEC -OND: The professional ser-vice limited liability companysha l l p rac t i ce theprofession(s) of: Law THIRD:The county within this statein which the office of theprofessional service limitedliability company is to be lo-ca ted i s : NEW YORKFOURTH: The Secretary ofState is designated as agentof the professional servicel imi ted l iab i l i ty companyupon whom process againstit may be served. The ad-dress within or without thisstate to which the Secretaryof State shall mail a copy ofany process against the pro-fessional service limited li-ability company served uponh im or he r i s : 1915HALSTEAD TERRACE, FAIRLAWN, NEW JERSEY, 07410-4519 FIFTH: The names andresidence addresses of allindividuals who are to be theoriginal members and theoriginal managers, if any, are:BRIAN KRAMER, ESQ. 138-22 78TH AVE, APT 1A FLUSH-ING, NEW YORK 11367____________________________________________________________Supreme Cour t , QueensCounty, Matter of JuanitaWatk ins a .k .a . Juan i ta E .Watkins an incapacitated per-son, pursuant to Court Orderdated September 8, 2011, ofHon. Howard G. Lane, JSC,for application to sell pre-mises 120-03 192nd Street,St. Albans, New York 11412on October 25, 2011 at 9:30am. In IAS Part MGM 20,Supreme Cour t -QueensCounty 88-11 Sutphin Boule-vard, Jamaica, New York11432 under contract sub-ject to court approval for$325,000.00 call Zenith T.Taylor, Esq. (718) 268-1300for info.____________________________________________________________Not i ce o f fo rmat ion o fMotipur LLC, Arts. of Org.filed with Secy. Of State ofNY (SSNY) on 08/09/2011.Of f ice Locat ion : QueensCounty. SSNY designated asagent of LLC upon whomprocess against it may beserved. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to the LLC 37-49 75Street, Jackson Heights NY11372. Purpose: any lawfulactivity.____________________________________________________________Notice is hereby given thatan order entered by the CivilCourt, Queens County, onthe 31 day of August, 2011,bearing Index Number 720/2011, a copy of which may beexamined at the office of thec le rk , loca ted a t 89 -17Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica,New York, in room number357 grants me the right, toassume the name of Mei YeeCecilia Moy. My present ad-dress is 79-06 45th Avenue,Elmhurst, NY 11373; the dateof my birth is 02/22/1956,the place of my birth is Hong

Kong, People’s Republic ofChina; my present name isMe i Yee C . Moy a/k/aMeiyee Moy a/k/a May MoyLau a/k/a Mee Mu Lau a/k/aTing Ting Moy a/k/a CeciliaTing Ting Moy a/k/a Mei YeeCecilia Moy a/k/a MeiyeeCecilia Moy a/k/a Ting TingCecilia Moy a/k/a Mei YeeCecilia Cui.____________________________________________________________Notice is hereby given thatan Order entered by the CivilCourt, Queens County on 9/13/11, bearing Index Num-ber NC-000753-11/QU, acopy of which may be exam-ined at the Office of the Clerk,located at 89-17 Sutphin Bou-levard, Jamaica, NY 11435,grants me the right to: As-sume the name of (First) Ilia(Last) Menendez My presentname is (First) Ilia (Middle)De La Merced Menendez(Las t ) Andu ja r aka I l i aMenendez My present ad-dress is 53-03 196th Street,Fresh Meadows, NY 11365My place of birth is San Juan,Puerto Rico My date of birthis July 06, 1962____________________________________________________________File No.: 2009-3934/A CITA-TION THE PEOPLE OF THESTATE OF NEW YORK BYTHE GRACE OF GOD, FREEAND INDEPENDENT To :Michae l Abrams , AndreaMess ing , R ichard Ra l ton,Attorney General of the Stateof New York, The unknowndistributees, legatees, devi-sees, heirs at law and assign-ees of JOSEPHINE RALTON,deceased, or their estates, ifany there be, whose names,places of residence and posto f f i ce addresses a re un -known to the petitioner andcannot with due diligence beascertained. Being the per-sons interested as creditors,legatees, distributees or oth-e rw i se in the E s ta te o fJOSEPHINE RALTON, de-ceased, who at the time ofdeath was a resident of 110-11 Queens Blvd. Apt 14M,Forest Hills, in the County ofQueens, State of New York.SEND GREETING: Upon thepe t i t ion o f LOIS M.ROSENBLATT, Public Admin-istrator of Queens County,who maintains her office at88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Ja-maica, Queens County, NewYork 11435, as Administra-tor of the Estate of JOSEPHINERALTON, deceased, you andeach of you are hereby citedto show cause before theSurrogate at the Surrogate’sCour t o f the County o fQueens, to be held at theQueens Genera l Cour t -house , 6 th F loor , 88 -11Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica,City and State of New York,on the 10th day of Novem-ber, 2011 at 9:30 o’clock inthe forenoon, why the Ac-count of Proceedings of thePub l i c Admin i s t r a to r o fQueens County, as Adminis-trator of the Estate of saiddeceased, a copy of which isattached, should not be judi-cially settled, and why theSurrogate should not fix andallow a reasonable amount ofcompensation to GERARD J.SWEENEY, ESQ., for legalservices rendered to peti-tioner herein in the amountof $28,537.37 and that theCourt fix the fair and reason-

able additional fee for anyservices to be rendered byGERARD J. SWEENEY, ESQ.,hereafter in connection withp roceed ings on k in sh ip ,claims etc., prior to entry ofa final Decree on this ac-counting in the amount of5.5% of assets or incomecollected after the date of thewithin accounting; and whythe Surrogate should not fixand allow an amount equal toone percent on said Sched-ules of the total assets onSchedules A, A1, and A2 plusany additional monies re-ceived subsequent to the dateof this account, as the fairand reasonable amount pay-able to the Office of the Pub-lic Administrator for the ex-penses of said office pursu-ant to S.C.P.A. §1106(4); andwhy each of you claiming tobe a distributee of the dece-dent should not establishproof of your kinship; andwhy the balance of said fundsshould not be paid to saidal leged distr ibutees uponproof of kinship, or depos-ited with the Commissionerof Finance of the City of NewYork should sa id a l legeddistributees default herein,or fail to establish proof ofkinship, Dated, Attested andSealed 9th day of September,2011 HON. PETER J. KELLYSurrogate, Queens CountyMargaret M. Gribbon Clerkof the Surrogate ’s CourtGERARD J. SWEENEY, ESQ.(718) 459-9000 95-25 QueensBoulevard 11th Floor RegoPark, New York 11374 Thiscitation is served upon you asrequired by law. You are notobliged to appear in person.If you fail to appear it will beassumed that you do not ob-ject to the relief requestedunless you file formal legal,verified objections. You havea right to have an attorney-at-law appear for you.____________________________________________________________NOTICE OF FORMATION ofV&L Occupational and Physi-cal Therapy, PLLC. Articlesof Organization filed with theSecretary of State of NY(SSNY) on 08/29/11 Officelocation: Queens County.SSNY has been designatedas agent upon whom processagainst it may be served. ThePost Office address to whichthe SSNY shall mail a copy ofany process against the PLLCserved upon him is 1633Sheepshead Bay Rd, Brook-lyn, N.Y., 11235. Date ofDissolution: by proclamation.Purpose of PLLC; providemedical services. Street ad-dress of Principal Businesslocation is: 9205 RockawayBlvd, Ozone Park, NY 11417____________________________________________________________ARTICLES OF ORGANIZA-TION OF FDW PROPERTIES,LLC Under Section 203 ofthe Limited Liability Com-pany Law FIRST: The name ofthe limited liability companyis: FDW PROPERTIES, LLCSECOND: The county withinthis state in which the officeof the limited liability com-pany is to be located is:QUEENS THIRD: The Secre-tary of State is designated asagent of the limited liabilitycompany upon whom pro-cess against it may be served.The address within or with-out this state to which the

Secretary of State shall mail acopy of any process againstthe limited liability companyserved upon him or her is:250-169 UNION TURNPIKEBELLROSE , NEW YORK11426 Mirna L. White (sig-nature of organizer MIRNAL. WHITE, ESQ (print or typename of organizer)____________________________________________________________ARTICLES OF ORGANIZA-TION OF Ah-Musement sta-tion LLC Under Section 203of the Limited Liability Com-pany Law FIRST: The name ofthe limited liability companyis: Ah-Musement station LLCSECOND: The county, withinthis state, in which the officeof the limited liability com-pany is to be located is: QueensTHIRD: The Secretary of Stateis designated as agent of thelimited liability company uponwhom process against it maybe served. The address withinor without this state to whichthe Secretary of State shallmail a copy of any processagainst the limited liabilitycompany served upon him orher is: pascal gorain 23-0433rd ave long island city, NY11106 USA pascal gorain (sig-nature of organizer) pascalgorain (print of type name oforganizer)____________________________________________________________CITATION Fi le No. 2010-2270/C SURROGATE ’SCOURT, Queens COUNTYTHE PEOPLE OF THE STATEOF NEW YORK, By the Graceof God Free and Indepen-den t TO: Mor r i s Sa l t z ,Charles Saltz, William Saltz,F rances C la rman , andEphrem Hecht adversely af-fected copy of Will dated June18, 2009 also attached PublicAdmin is t ra tor o f QueensCounty And to JOSEPHSINGER if living and if dead,to his heirs at law, next of kinand d i s t r ibu tees whosenames and places of resi-dence are unknown and if hedied subsequent to the dece-dent herein, to his execu-tors, administrators, lega-tees, devisees, assignees andsuccessors in interest whosename and places of residenceare unknown and to all otherheirs at law, next of kin andd i s t r ibu tees o f HAROLDSALTZ, the decedent herein,whose names and places ofresidence are unknown andcannot after diligent inquirybe ascertained. A petitionhaving been duly filed byCary Reid who is domiciledat 2 Reservoir Street NewHaven, Connecticut 06511YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TOSHOW CAUSE before theSurrogate’s Court, QueensCounty, at 88-11 SutphinBlvd., Jamaica, New York, onOctober 27,2011, at 9:30o’clock in the fore noon ofthat day, why a decree shouldnot be made in the estate ofHarold Saltz lately domiciledat 102-25 67th Road, Apt. 4F,Fo res t H i l l s , New York ,11375, United States admit-ting to probate a Will datedJuly 28, 2009, a copy of whichis attached, as the Will ofHarold Saltz deceased, relat-ing to real and personal prop-erty and directing that Let-ters Testamentary issue toCary Reid Dated, Attestedand Sealed SEP 16 2011HON. PETER J. KELLY Surro-

ga te MARGARET M.GRIBBON Chief Clerk AT-TORNEY , MARILYN G.ORDOVER, ESQ., Cullen andDykman LLP 177 MontagueStreet, Brooklyn, New York11201 , (718) 780 -0254NOTE: This citation is servedupon you as required by law.You are not required to ap-pear. If you fail to appear itwill be assumed you do notob jec t to the re l i e f re -quested. You have a right tohave an attorney appear foryou.___________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of BryantHolding Affiliates, LLC. No-tice of Conversion of BryantHolding Co., a partnership,to Bryant Holding Affiliates,LLC. Certificate filed withSecy. of State of NY (SSNY)on 09/01/11. Office loca-tion: Queens County. SSNYdesignated as agent of LLCupon whom process againstit may be served. SSNY shallmail process to: The LLC,136-48 39th Ave., Flushing,NY 11354. Purpose: any law-ful activities.___________________________________________________________PROMAGA N.Y., LLC, a do-mestic Limited Liability Com-pany (LLC), filed with the Secof State of NY on 5/24/11.NY Office location: QueensCounty. SSNY is designatedas agent upon whom processaga ins t the LLC may beserved. SSNY shall mail acopy of any process againstthe LLC served upon him/her to The LLC , 101 -05Lefferts Blvd., Richmond Hill,NY 11419 . Genera l Pur -poses.___________________________________________________________Notice of Formation of Re-naissance DJK LLC. Arts. ofOrg. filed with Secy. of Stateof NY (SSNY) on 9/7/11. Of-f i ce loca t ion : QueensCounty. SSNY designated asagent of LLC upon whomprocess against it may beserved. SSNY shall mail pro-cess to: 136-56 39th Ave., #LL,Flushing, NY 11354. Pur-pose: any lawful activity.___________________________________________________________NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENTHAT A LICENSE, SERIALNUMBER: 1256853 FOR EAT-ING PLACE BEER HAS BEENAPPLIED FOR BY THE UN-DERSIGNED TO SELL EAT-ING PLACE BEER AT RETAILIN GIANMORO INC UNDERTHE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGECONTROL LAW AT 31 0621ST ST., ASTORIA, NY 11106COUNTY OF QUEENS FORON-PREMISES CONSUMP-TION___________________________________________________________

Notice is hereby given that anOrder entered by the CivilCourt, Queens County on 8/11/11, bearing Index Num-ber NC-000667-11/QU, acopy of which may be exam-ined at the Office of the Clerk,located at 89-17 Sutphin Bou-levard, Jamaica, NY 11435,grants me the right to: Assumethe name of (First) Jenefer(Middle) Krystina (Last) RohitMy present name is (First)Christina (Middle) Jennifer(Last) Rohit aka Christina J.Rohit My present address is245-32 76 Avenue, Bellerose,NY 11426 My place of birth isQueens, NY My date of birthis August 05, 1983

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RESTAURANT

REVIEW

Riveting ‘CHIX 6’ At Queens Theatre

Such Sushi SelectionATAMI SUSHI JAPANESE BUFFET19-11 Franc is Lew is B l vd,Whitestone(718) 357-3998CUISINE: Japanese, ChineseHOURS: Lunch, Mon-Sat, 11:30 am-4 pm; Dinner Mon-Thu, 4:30-10 pm;Fri-Sat, 4:30-10:30 pm; Sun & Holi-days, noon to 10 pmPARKING: LotRESVERATIONS: NoCREDIT CARDS: All Major

There are few places in the world out-side of the Pacific Rim where you can findreal authentic Asian cuisine – not Chinesetakeout or mass produced sushi. Nor th-east Queens is one of those places.

And on Francis Lewis Boulevard there isa restaurant where one can explore nearlyevery opt ion in Asian cuisine from hiba-chi to sushi to authentic Chinesedesser ts you won’t f ind any-where else. Atami Japanese SushiBuffet, located near the intersec-tion of Francis Lewis and WilletsPoint Boulevards in Whitestone,is not a typical Japanese restau-rant. It combines Japanese cui-sine with some authentic Chinesedishes that are nothing like theones you get at your local take-out.

I came to Atami on a Saturdayevening around 6 p.m., a half hour afterits dinner buffet opened. I was given a tasteof all of Atami’s choices – some hibachi,some sushi, and some of the buffet. At thebuffet table, I tr ied the General Tso’sChicken, which was cooked perfectly andglazed in a sweet sauce. I also tried thetasty lo mein soaked in a tangy sauce anda lobster claw smothered in a delicious but-tery cream preparation. The buffet also hasa wide range of options that change overtime, so whenever you come back, thedishes are new.

I started with a tall – and I do mean tal l –glass of lychee iced tea. A traditional Chi-nese fruit, lychee has a mango-like f lavor.Little pieces of the fruit lie on the bot tomof the glass, giving you a wonder ful lit tlesnack once you finish the beverage.

I tried the Tuna tar tar, a dish of raw tunaarranged like a pate. If you don’t care forfishy tastes, you’ll love this. There is barely ahint of fish. The meat is chilled, though dif-ficult to eat with a fork. I suggest chopsticks– or a spoon if you’re not stick-proficient.

I enjoyed the sweetheart rol l, a spicy tunarol l cradled inside a meaty slice of perfectlypink tuna sushi arranged in the shape of ahear t on the plate. Definitely a personalfavorite, but I did not end there. I sampledthe Atami roll, a house special made ofshrimp – spicy and tempura – with cu-cumber and avocado. There was also theLobster tempura roll. Now I’m not usuallya big fan of tempura, but the lobstertempura roll was especially tasty. Theserolls are not bite-sized and you may needto take it apar t to get it al l in your mouth,but it’s completely worth it.

My choice of sushi was unagi – a gener-ous helping of eel over rice. It isoften different from regular sushibecause it ’s not served com-pletely raw, and it’s also servedin a sauce. Atami’s eel was largerthan others that I’ve seen andmuch more meaty. The sauceused is exceptionally tangy; thesauces are a highlight of this res-taurant.

For my main course, I had aHibachi and teriyaki choice, so Ichoose steak hibachi and shrimp

teriyaki. Naturally, I was impressed by theteriyaki sauce, which coated every inch ofthe shrimp and gave it a thril ling f lavor. Iwas left wanting more.

For dessert I was served an Atami exclu-sive; a Chinese sweet soup, served chilled,made of an almond-flavor crème with slicesof pineapple and tapioca pearls. For any-one who enjoys a bubble tea, this dessertis a perfect way to end a meal.

Time and stomach constraints kept mefrom exploring other options Atami offers,such as the raw bar, but another tr ip isdefinitely on the agenda.

For those nearby earlier in the day,Atami has a lunch menu, and you can evenorder online. Visit their Web site at atami-ny.com

—Domenick Rafter

By TAMMY SCILEPPIDuring rehearsals for Lourds Lane’s spec-

tacular creation, the rock musical “CHIX6,” the multi-talented Queens native tooktime out from her busy schedule for an in-terview about the show and her career.

“My license says I’m 33, but I feel like I’m53, with all the hats I wear and the amountof life I squeeze into each day,” she said.“I‘m so busy, I can hardly breathe – but I’mhaving the time of my life!”

Get ready for a riveting multimedia ex-travaganza. “CHIX 6” burst on the scene atQueens Theatre in the Park Tuesday, whenit star ted its five-week run. “It’s a feast foryour senses. It’s ‘Cirque Du Soleil’ meets‘Rent’ meets ‘Rocky Horror’ meets stadiumrock show,” said former “rocker-chick”Lourds, who wrote the lyrics and composedthe original music score. Wendy Bobbit tCavet t, who is the cur rent musical directorfor “Mamma Mia!,” is also musical directorand band member of the sassy rock opera.

The tale spotlights comic book ar t ist,Katie, caught in a web of misery as she

struggles to free herself from an unhealthyrelationship. Luckily, she is rescued by hersuper heroines, who come to life just in thenick of time, saving her creative spark. Ulti-mately, she learns how to love herself again.

No stranger to adversity, Lourds drewfrom her difficult past and clearly thoughtway out-of-the-box, when she created herimaginative concoction of “CHIX 6” char-acters. Growing up in Jamaica, she says herFilipino mom was busy making ends meet,while dad was either absent or abusive.

“Music was my escape. I star ted playingviolin and piano at age 3, and when I wasolder, I’d practice 6 to 7 hours a day.” Play-ing Carnegie Hall at age 6, the lit tle prodigyjumped off the stage during a performance,and played her violin into the audience.

Now a Manhattanite, Lourds insists: “Youcan take the girl out of Queens, but youcan’t take Queens out of the girl.” She feelsthe borough shaped her art ist ic creativity.“Music and per forming are a par t of mybone structure. It pumps through my veins.”

Composing dramatic rock songs in her

tweens, the spirited per-former star ted her ownband, trading her acous-tic violin “for a fierce,spark ly e lec t r i c one .”Touring with amazing fe-male singers and musi-cians, the cool “chicks”played gigs all over thecountry, “bringing downthe house” wherever theyappeared. Taking time offafter a series of whirlwindshows, Lourds somehowfound time to graduatefrom Harvard, with hon-ors.

She recalls her excit-ing idea, The MedusaFestival, which featured edgier female-fronted bands: “The idea of hand-pickingan all-girl cast of super heroines to create atheatrical rock experience came from host-ing and headlining these concerts.” So, in2008, her f i rst rockin’ opera “SUPERCHIX” came to be. Afterwards, “CHIX 6”was born.

“This isn’t just a rock ‘n rol l show,” saidits creator. “It has a fully developed and emo-tionally-charged script, featuring bonafideBroadway stars, who have per formed in‘Rent,’ ‘Legally Blonde,’ ‘Wicked,’ ‘MammaMia!,’ ‘Rock of Ages,’ and ‘Lion King,’ justto name a few.”

The musical’s creative team includes, D.J.Salisbury, who Lourds describes as, “our

kickass director, and one of the most coveteddirectors in the nation;” costume designerChris March (“Project Runway,” on Bravo);and a fabulous dance duo, featuring EllenorePaige Scott, a finalist from “So You ThinkYou Can Dance,” and star Molly Tynes, whosings upside down in a hoop, performingaerial tricks in suspended silks.

The uber-creative Lourds believes that“the heart and message of the musical shinesright through…You’l l laugh, you’l l cry, you’llsing along. See it now while we’re still ‘thelit tle show that could.’”

“CHIX 6” runs through Oct. 30 atQueens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Mead-ows Corona Park. For more info go toqueenstheatre.org or call (718) 760-0064.

A look inside a CHIX 6 rehearsal.

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By JASON BANREYQueens’ comedy scene is on the verge

on shat tering the perception that New YorkCity’s tourist friendly comedy clubs can onlybe in Manhat tan – and one borough nat ivestands at the forefront with the hammer tomake it happen.

After making his mark on the nation’sentertainment industry, Queens comic SteveHofstetter has returned to the borough bet-ter than ever, bringing a comedy club toLong Island City.

“The Laughing Devil is going to give theresidents of Queens the ability to have highquality enter tainment right here in the bor-ough without having to leave,” Hofstet tersaid of the new comedy club he plans toopen at 47-38 Vernon Blvd. in December.

Once a derelict area riddled with onlyindustrial factories and dark dodgy streets,the neighborhood of Western Queens hasbecome a region to which members of thear ts community are f locking. Despite theinflux on ar t ists, however, there has been alack of a live enter tainment venue, whichHofstet ter hopes to change.

“Although there is a lot happening inLong Island City right now there aren’t manytheaters here, only a couple of bars whichsometimes have bands on,” Hofstetter said.

Hofstet ter’s venture promises to rivalmany of the Manhat tan comedy clubs whichprimari ly focus on at tracting tourist s for anevening of laughs. So how does Hofstetter’sbusiness model hope to create repeat cus-tomers? With his “street cred” of course.

Being a comedian “gives me the oppor-tunity to use my Rolodex to mostly everyonein the business,” said Hofstetter of the con-

Boro Comedy NativeBrings Devil To LIC

tacts he has developed over the years.“With that type of ‘street cred’ it’ll let

others know that this is a real comedy club.”From authoring his slapstick look back

at college life titled, “Student Body Shots: ASarcastic Look at the Best 4-6 Years of YourLife” to writing for Maxim and ESPN Maga-zine, the funnyman’s resume boasts a longlist of achievements.

In an effort to generate suppor t for theclub and show the community there is aninterest, the Laughing Devil is circulating apetit ion for suppor t.

By bringing the neighborhood a topnotch comedy club, Hofstet ter hopes todraw at tention toward the possibi lit ies ofLong Island City.

“There is a lot more that this neighbor-hood could use,” he said. “Hopefully otherbusinesses will see our success and followsuit. It’s going to bring more people intothe neighborhood who don’t know just howawesome it is and help local businesses.”

With opening day just a few months away,Hofstetter said he feels only good things cancome from his comedy club; and after years ofbeing out of Queens he hopes he can giveback to the borough that helped make himwho he is.

“This is something I never would haveexpected,” Hofstetter said of having his owncomedy club. “But from a selfish perspec-tive, being a kid from Queens, it’s wonder-ful to be able to make good on that.”

To s i gn t he pe t i t i on , go toLaughingdevil.com.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey atjbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.

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SECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcementsfor your club or

organization’s events atleast TWO weeks in

advance to “Queens Today”Editor, Queens Tribune,

150-50 14 Road,Whitestone NY 11357.

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

IF YOUR ORGANIZATIONMEETS ON A REGULARBASIS, SEND ALL DATESFOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

Queens Today

EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS

KAYAKINGWeekends through Oc to -ber 9 (weather permitting)kayak ing f rom Socra tesScu lp tu re Pa rk Beach a tHallets Cove. 228-9214.LANDSCAPE/FLORALCharcoal and pen and inkclasses. 969-1128.JH ART CLUBClasses in all art forms daysand evenings for chi ldrenand adults. 426-9821.PUBLIC SPEAKINGSaturdays, Oc tober 1, 15,29, November 5, 19, De-cember 3, 17 Learn to com-mun ica te e f fec t i ve l y a tElmhurst Hospital. 646-436-7940.SEWING CLASSESSaturdays 11 -3 at Mar iaRose International Doll Mu-seum in S t . A lbans . 276 -3454.SCRABBLE CLUBSaturdays at 10 at CountBasie Jr. HS, 132nd Street andGuy R. Brewer Blvd. 886-5236.PET OWNERSSaturdays (not on holidayweekends ) f rom 1 -4 f reeDogg ie Boot Camp a tCrocheron Park in Bayside(weather permitt ing). 454-5800 . Rese rva t ions re -quired. Donations accepted.SKYPE CHATMonday, October 3 at theQueens Village library at 2.JOB INFO SERVICEMondays, October 3, 31 at4 at the Middle Vil lage l i -brary.WIRED TRAININGMonday, October 3 free jobtraining at the Arverne l i -brary at 4.BRIDGE CLUBMondays except holidays12-4 at Pr ide of Judea inDouglaston. Lesson & play$10. Partners arranged. 423-6200.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4. Reg-ister.DRAWING CLASSMondays at the National ArtLeague in Douglaston. 361-0628.LINE DANCEMondays beginner to inter-med ia te l e s sons 6 -9 inBayside. 917-886-0519.KNITTING CIRCLEMondays at Alley Pond Envi-ronmental Center. Register229-4000.ADULT CHESSMondays and Thursdays atthe Queens Village library at5:30.BASIC COMPUTERTuesdays, October 4, 11, 18,25 at the Arverne library at10:30.PRACTICE LAB TIMETuesdays, October 4, 11, 18,25 computer practice labtime at the Far Rockaway li-brary at 4.LI CHESS CLUBTuesdays, October 4, 11, 18,15 at the LIC library at 4.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the East Flush-ing library at 3:30.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays, October 4, 11, 18,15 at the Windsor Park li-brary at 2.WORLD EDUCATION

Tuesdays , Oc tober 4 , 11World Education Services at6 at the Flushing library.GET YOUR YARNS OUT!Tuesdays after evening Min-yan at 8, knitters, crochet-ers, needlepointers, and oth-ers meet at the Forest HillsJewish Center . 263-7000,ext. 200.LANGUAGE CLASSWednesdays ConversationalHebrew 2:30-3:30 and TorahStories in Yiddish 3:30-4:30at the Bayside Jewish Cen-ter. 352-7900.TANGO CLASSWednesdays , Oc tober 5 ,12, 19, 26 at Buenos AiresTango in Forest Hills. 347-642-4705.BASIC COMPUTERWednesday, October 5 atthe Woods ide l i b ra ry a t10:30.DUPLICATE BRIDGEWednesdays 10:30-3:00 atthe Reform Temple of For-est Hi l l s . $12 sess ion, in -cludes light lunch. 261-2900INDOOR SOCCER – DADSWednesday evenings at theForest Hills Jewish Center.263-7000.OIL PAINTING CLASSWednesdays 6 -8 adu l tc l a s ses , a l l l eve l s . GraceLutheran Church in ForestHills. 472-4055.WATERCOLOR CLASSWednesdays at 9:30 at NAL.Tradit ional and contempo-rary, all levels. 969-1128.PREPARE FICTIONThursdays, October 6, 13,20, 27 preparing your fic-t ion ; A Crea t i ve Wr i t i ngWorkshop at the LangstonHughes library at 6.DRAWINGThursday, Oc tober 6sketches, contour drawingsand more at the Seaside li-brary. Register.TAI CHITuesdays, October 6, 13, 20at the Forest Hi l ls l ibrary.Register .COMPUTER BOOT CAMPTuesdays, October 6, 13, 20Arverne library at 10:30.WRITER’S WORKSHOPThursdays, October 6, 20 atthe Bayside library. Register.QUILTING CLASSThursdays 10-2 at the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 276-3454 or 917-817-8653 to register.QUILTERSThursdays a t the Eas tElmhurst library at 12:30.CHESS CLUBThursdays at the East Flush-ing library. Register.COMPUTER CLASSEvery Thursday a t theQueensboro Hill library. Reg-ister.KNIT & CROCHETThursdays a t the F reshMeadows library at 6.COMPUTER PRACTICEFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Arverne library atnoon.KNITTING CLUBFridays at the Maspeth li-brary at 10.KNIT & CROCHETFridays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 10:30.COMPUTER COURSEEvery Friday at the OzonePark library. Register.

ALUMNI

DANCE

THOMAS JEFFERSONSunday, January 15 classof 1961 will meet in Florida.Tjhs1961@aol.com

COUNTRY WESTERNSaturday, Oc tober 15 SanAntones and Halloween Cos-tume contest. $12. GlendaleMemor ia l Bu i ld ing , 72 -02Myrtle Avenue at 7:30. 763-4328.LINE DANCINGSaturdays 2-4 at Holy FamilyRC Par i sh Church , Msgr .Mahoney Hall , 175-20 74th

Avenue , F resh Meadows .L igh t re f re shment s . B r ingfriends!ISRAELI FOLKMondays 7 :15 -9 :45 a tHillcrest Jewish Center, 182-02 Union Turnpike. $10 ses-sion. 380-4145.LINE DANCINGMondays 6 :30 -9 :30 a tKowa l in sk i Pos t 4 , 61 -57Maspeth Avenue. $7. Cakeand coffee. 565-2259.

ENVIRONMENT

DINNER

APECSunday, October 2 Brunchon the Boardwalk With AlleyPond Environmental Center.229-4000. $50, $75 couple.

COMPOSTINGTuesdays, October 4, 11, 18,25 waste food drop off at theSteinway library at 4.

MISCELLANEOUS

MINI GOLFThrough December 31Rocket Park Mini-Golf 10-6weekends, 2-5 Fridays at theHall of Science. $6 adults, $5children plus general NYSCIadmission.SAFETY EVENTSaturday, October 1 For-est Park Bandshell ParkingLot 10-2.BLESSING OF PETSSaturday, Oc tober 1 a tChurch of the Resurrection,Richmond Hill at 11.PICK PUMPKINSOc tober 1 -30 p ick yourpumpk ins a t the QueensCounty Farm Museum.P

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By DOMENICK RAFTER

Many Americans are afraid of it. Some try to

avoid it. But if you plan on making a big pur-

chase and are going to need any type of loan, like

Understanding How Credit Works

Makes Gaining It An Easier Taskfor a house or a car, you need it. Credit is one of

the most popular ways for people to purchase

items, especially big items like homes and cars,

but it can also be financially dangerous.

What Is Credit?

Credit is a trust in which one individual or body

provides resources to another in exchange for the

promise of payment instead of immediate pay-

ment. The receiving party arranges a deal with

the provider to reimburse them, whether it is at a

later date, or in stages, in the form of a monetary

payment or other goods.

An example of credit could be as simple as us-

ing your credit card to buy a pair of jeans from a

store, then paying for the jeans later when you

pay the credit card bill, but it is often far more

complicated.

How Do You Get It?

Lenders and banks giving an individual or a

company credit want to make sure that they are

going to get payment back and not be left at a

loss, so they are unlikely to give a line of credit to

anyone who cannot prove they have been respon-

sible in paying it off.

Not having any credit history is almost as

bad as having a terrible credit history when

you are applying for your first credit card or

loan, so it is important to establish credit early

– either by getting a low-balance credit card

or a student loan. Students can have their

parents co-sign and often do to establish ini-

tial credit. Often it is during college years that

a person establishes their initial credit with

low-interest rate, low-limit credit cards or stu-

dent loans.

If you’re older, lenders will use bank accounts,

employment history, residence history and utility

payments – such as gas and water bills – to deter-

mine your credit worthiness.

What Is A Credit Report?

A credit report, or a credit history, is the com-

plete history of one’s borrowing and payments

including documentation of late payments and

bankruptcies. Often, the terms consumer report

or credit history are used interchangeably with

credit report.

Credit reports are used by credit card compa-

nies and lenders to determine whether or not an

individual or a company can be given a loan or

line of credit without risking default. If a person

or business is good at paying back bills on time

and in full, then lenders will be willing to take the

risk and lend them money. If they have paid their

bills late, or repeatedly paid the minimum pay-

ment or perhaps have even declared bankruptcy,

lenders will determine that they are likely to de-

fault on their payments and are unlikely to offer

them loans.

What Is A Credit Score?

Worthiness is determined through the credit

score, which is the sum of the entire report. The

score determines on a scale how good your credit

history has been. In the United States, the most

popular score is the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO)

score, which ranges from 300-850 with 300 being

terrible credit – you’re unlikely to get any type of

loan – and 850 being the best, where lenders are

going to fight for you. The median score accord-

ing to FICO is 723.

You can sign up to receive your FICO score at

myfico.com, and for a fee, you can be updated

about any changes to your score and get up to

(continued on page 31)

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RES

-HP-

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By JOSEPH OROVIC

Poor spending habits? Living well

above your means? Do you have a

credit card for each day of your bi-

weekly pay period?

Chances are if you answered “Yes”

or “I don’t know” to any of the above

questions, your credit score may be

in dubious standing with any one of

the three agencies charged with

monitoring your fiscal prowess.

Fortunately, there are many low-

cost, low pain options to get yourself

out of the monetary muck, accord-

ing to Steven Burman, president of

Credit Advocates, one of the few non-

profit credit agencies based in New

York City.

Seek First To Understand

Obviously knowledge is power, so

Burman recommends you scope out

your credit scores on your own. You

are entitled to seeing your credit

scores for free once a year, and sites

like annualcreditreport.com offer

you a no-fee look-see.

Burman warns against ever pay-

ing to get access to your credit score,

and any site charging you to scope

out your credit score should be

treated as radioactive.

From the Web site, you can take

the first steps towards restoring

health to your credit standing, Bur-

man said.

Clean It Up

“It’s been my experience that it

really is a consumer’s responsibility

to pull their credit reports and go

through them for inaccuracies. About

70 percent of credit reports have er-

rors on them, generally things that

either were put on a report by acci-

dent or things that have been paid

but the information was not up-

dated,” he said.

In such situations, the onus is on

the consumer to dispute any out-

standing accounts or records that are

inaccurate.

“They assume that once they pay

something, it should be removed,”

Burman said. “That’s not accurate.

It doesn’t work that way.”

Your ability to dispute is based upon

the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which

allows consumers to dispute any infor-

mation on their credit report. It is a

right Burman suggests everyone exer-

cise at least once a year, keeping in

mind what they do and do not owe.

After you have cleared any dis-

putes yourself, Burman suggests see-

ing a nonprofit credit agency – with

the obligatory self-recognition. After

two decades of experience, Burman

lambasted for-profit credit compa-

nies who “can’t do anything that a

consumer can’t do themselves.”

The trained eye of an experienced

debt management professional can

spot inconsistencies and snafus. Bur-

man points to one recent visitor who

had a hospital charge duplicated on

their credit report five times over.

Even at the onset, Burman sug-

Controlling Credit Is Unfeasible

Until Living On Realistic Budget

gests keeping your revolving bal-

ances under 30 percent of your limit.

“The most common error is out-

standing debt showing on the credit

reports,” Burman said. “Those bal-

ances, they should be updated, but

they’re not updated all the time. It

could lead to a skewed credit score.”

Another common issue, especially

among the nomadic youth, is mul-

tiple addresses. Consolidating them

and taking your parent’s home or

former apartment off the bill re-

moves a red flag.

Personal Responsibility

But before any of this happens,

Burman suggests a very altruistic re-

alization. “The most common thing

I see is the person who refuses to take

personal responsibility for their own

financial situation,” he said. “Live

within a lifestyle you can afford. If

you know what you can bring and you

know what you’re spending, you can

make adjustments.”

Fixing Your Credit:

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To learn more, visit www.thinkgreen.com.

Waste Equals Opportunity

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If things are dire and your credit

score has tanked, it is time for a tri-

age. But even then, the solutions are

more altruistic than mechanical. Too

often, Burman said, folks are caught

up with credit cards because they are

the most direct contact many have

with their debt.

“The biggest problem I see is pri-

orities,” he said. “It’s knowing how

to take care of excessive debt.”

Burman suggests treating mon-

etary priorities with

practicality and

survivor’s mentality –

Maslow’s hierarchy of

needs being the tem-

plate. Meaning shelter,

food, groceries – and

do not sacrifice medi-

cal insurance to pay off

debt.

“That kind of pri-

oritizing what’s impor-

tant,” he said. “Even

paying for a car if the

car is getting you to

work. It’s important to

make a list in terms of

priorities what bills need to be paid

first. If you got thrown into the

middle of an environment, what’s

the f irst thing you’re going to

need?”

Of course, the best solution is pre-

ventative measures – namely budget-

ing.

Burman is himself a loyal user of

mint.com, which tracks expendi-

tures. The practice even saved his

own hide.

“I can’t even tell you, I really

didn’t have any idea how much I was

spending,” he said. “The one nice

thing, when you talk to someone who

budgets, which is rare, they can tell

you how much they spend on take out

food, clothing, dining out.”

The practice of budgeting has

helped even the least fortunate. Bur-

man was stunned to visit homeless

shelters to help and in the process

find the living expenses of the aver-

age homeless person

in New York ranges in

the $400 to $500

range.

Put Your Credit To

Work

Tapping into your

credit’s potential ben-

efits is another sugges-

tion Burman urges for

most people, especially

when choosing a credit

card.

“Try to find a credit

card that ties to some-

thing that has some

real value in your life,” he said.

“Maybe there’s a particular rewards

program that is valuable to your

lifestyle.”

Another simple but big money

saver is combing through monthly

bills with a fine-toothed comb, using

customer service to explain charges

and fees for services that are never

used.

“If you go through your bills with

a representative, for almost 50 per-

cent of our clients, there’s always ex-

tra charges that don’t have to be

there.”

For Burman, knowing the limits

of your income is the best tool

against insolvency brought on by

debt.

“Do the budget first, really know

realistically your lifestyle costs,” he

said. “Looking at it on a monthly

basis is probably the most manage-

able way to do it. If your income and

Consumer Credit

(800) 769-3571

consumercredit.com

Credit Advocates

(212) 260-2776

creditadvocates.com

Freedom

(800) 210-4622

freedomplus.com/

In Charge Debt Solutions

(866) 729-0065

incharge.org

Lexington Law

(888) 596-3115

lexingtonlaw.com/

Money Management International

(866) 531.3442

moneymanagement.org

Queens Credit Repair

(347)494-0020

queenscreditrepair.org/

Profit Dynamics Group

(516) 822-0300

profitdynamics.net/

Profit Solutions Group

(212) 779-0907

eastallencreditunion.com/

Standard & Poor’s

(877) 772-5436

standardandpoors.com

Who Can Help?

The following is a list of credit repair agencies that provide services

in Queens.

“I’m not say-

ing don’t use

your credit

card; live

within your

means.”

—Steven

Burman

expenses are way off, that needs to

be addressed.”

“I’m not saying don’t use your

credit card; live within your means.

Live within a lifestyle you can af-

ford. If you know what you can

bring and you know what you’re

spending, you can make adjust-

ments.”

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic

at jorovic@queenstribune.com or (718)

357-7400, Ext. 127.

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By JASON BANREY

Owning a home is a huge part of

the American Dream. Financing that

goal can sometimes be a complicated

process. Most first-time home buyers

do not have enough money to pay

for property upfront in cash, so ac-

quiring a mortgage is necessary.

Though most Americans aspire to

own property one day, very few are

prepared for the process and rarely

understand the method of acquiring

a mortgage.

What Is A Mortgage?

A mortgage is a real estate loan

secured by real property by a debtor

(the homebuyer) to a lender (com-

mercial banks, mortgage bankers

and brokers, credit unions, online

lenders, stock brokerages or savings

and loan associations) as a security

for debt, on the condition that it will

be repaid within a certain period of

time.

Typically a debt is incurred by

purchasing a piece or property itself,

but with a mortgage loan you are ca-

pable of establishing the best and

most affordable timeline for you to

make payments towards clearing the

cost of your home.

What Can You Afford?

Before getting started it is essen-

tial to determine how much you are

able to spend on a mortgage each

month. One way to do this is by

checking your credit score. A credit

score helps lenders estimate the po-

tential risk of the mortgage which

will be offered to you.

“It is extremely important to

check your credit score way in ad-

vance,” said John Rodnon, senior

mortgage officer of Sterling National

Bank to home buyers interested in

purchasing a home with a mortgage.

To learn more about credit scores,

and how to fix them, see our story

on Page 18.

Home buyers should give them-

selves the right amount of time to

fix their credit since there are mini-

mum credit scores which banks do

not go below when approving a

loan.

“For those who have not paid their

bills on time over a prolonged pe-

riod it may be too late and some of

them will not get approved,” Rodnon

said.

In general, to a lender, borrowers

with a higher credit score are less

likely to default on a loan. So know-

ing your financial history, before ap-

plying for a mortgage, can help de-

termine which types of mortgages are

right for you during the approval

process. Your credit report will also

help establish the interest rate and

various terms of the loan your lender

offers.

What A Borrower Needs To Know

To Navigate Murky Mortgage Waters

Know Your Lenders

Once you have figured out your

financial status, the next step is to

familiarize yourself with the mort-

gage industry. Knowing the differ-

ence between lenders and the types

of mortgages available is a crucial

part of the home buying process.

Shopping around can help you

get a gauge on where you stand and

what options are available. Com-

paring several mortgage loans will

establish which options are more

reasonable within your financial

status.

The difference between a mort-

gage brokers and bank loan officers

can be significant. Depending on

your preference they both offer a

wide variety of options.

Banks, credit unions and various

other lending institutions make loan

officers available to you. Working to

sell and process mortgages, created

by the lender, loan officers assist you

in finding a home loan that best fit

your needs. Loans originate only

from one source, the lender, and

there tends to be a variety of loan

types to choose from.

A vast amount of mortgage bro-

kers are accessible locally or online.

Considered freelance agents, brokers

are paid a fee to bring together both

lenders and borrowers and usually

work with numerous lenders to help

home buyers scout out the best pos-

sible home loan on a case to case

basis.

Whether available locally or

online, brokers can sometimes find

a lender in a different part of the

country which can set you back. With-

out a local office you will not have

the option of working with someone

who is familiar with your neighbor-

hood, classifications or terms used by

local appraiser on a personal basis.

Local banks sometimes provide the

security of staff being familiar with

area properties. Also mortgage bro-

kers can sometimes find a lender

willing to make an offer which a bank

may refuse due to issues with credit.

Despite the difference each is ca-

pable of connecting you with a rea-

sonable mortgage. The choice is

yours.

To get a preview of how lenders

may view your credit, loan qualifica-

tion calculators are available. Before

shopping around, check out

HSH.com and Loanpage.com to de-

termine your loan to value ratio. It

will give you a perspective of what to

expect before seeking a lender.

Mortgage Types

Before filling out the mortgage

loan application it is a good idea to

know what types of mortgages are

available to you. Although each one

of them has its advantages and dis-

advantages, there are many to choose

from.

According to

Mortgagecalculator.org, f ixed

Before you think of getting that

dream house, learn a bit about the

types of loans available based on

a number of factors, like how long

you plan to keep it or if you’re

going to rent it out.

mortgage rates are the most popu-

lar and account for 75 percent of

all home loans. These particular

loans remain the same throughout

the entire life of the loan and the

interest rate does not change for a

prearranged duration of time. One

benefit of a fixed-rate mortgage is

that the homeowner always knows

what the interest and principal pay-

ments will be for the entirety of the

loan.

One year adjustable rate mort-

gage (ARM) is a loan in which the

interest rate changes after a “fixed

period” after it is taken by a home

buyer. Although the homeowner does

pay an interest rate that is lower than

a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, it is

considered riskier.

They can make it

difficult for house-

holds to budget

their incomes as the

rate changes every

year.

For potential

buyers who intend

to not own a home

for more than 10

years, a 10/1 adjust-

able rate mortgage

may be the best op-

tion. The 10/1 ARM

comes with an initial

interest rate that is

fixed for the first

decade of the loan. When this period

is up, the rate adjusts annually for

the remainder of the loan, which to-

tals 30 years. Homeowners interested

in this option get the stability of a

30-year mortgage at a cost that is

lower than a fixed-rate mortgage of

the same period.

Lastly, balloon mortgages also of-

fer a few benefits to home buyers but

do so at a risk. Working like a fixed-

rate mortgage, balloon mortgage

monthly payments of interest are

lower because of the inflated pay-

ment at the end of the loan.

Homeowners, however, can po-

tentially put themselves at risk if

they cannot manage to pay the bal-

loon payment. This type of loan is

partially responsible for the massive

increase in defaults and home fore-

closures in Queens. On the other

hand balloon mortgages are ideal

for borrowers who intend to sell the

home before the due date of the

payment – assuming they can find a

seller.

These are a few of the popular fi-

nancing options currently available

to home buyers. For a more detailed

list go to Bankrate.com and search

through the Mortgage section for

more information.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718)

357-7400, Ext. 128.

Pay For Your House:

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By SETH BORNSTEIN

The Dow Jones industrial average

and the Standard & Poor’s 500 in-

dex each fell about 3.5 percent last

week, while many Asian and Euro-

pean markets shrank as much as five

percent.

It’s time to get help, and the

Queens Economic Development Cor-

poration has organized a long list of

free fall educational programs to

help budding borough business own-

ers hone their skills.

Included in the scheduling is a

special, free competition that will

award $10,000 each to three partici-

pants who complete a training pro-

gram and demonstrate a viable plan

for their start-up businesses.

Understanding the importance of

“who you know,” QEDC’s Queens

Women’s Business Center will host

two breakfast networking opportuni-

ties. The events are part of the

QWBC’s tireless efforts to empower

women to fully participate in the

economy by further developing their

capacity to start and grow successful

businesses, and by connecting them

to other women business owners and

business development resources in

the borough.

Also on deck is the QEDC Busi-

ness Blueprint Series, a set of work-

shops, training sessions and net-

working events designed to help en-

Start, Improve Your Biz With QEDC

trepreneurs and established busi-

ness owners start or expand their

businesses.

And last, but certainly not least,

QEDC will offer free Community

Clinics, which will impart informa-

tion on everything from compliance

with New York State’s regulations to

running a business.

Nobody argues that the worldwide

economy is passing through a peril-

ous moment. But there are still many

opportunities for dedicated profes-

sionals to thrive, and QEDC is ready,

willing and able to help.

A list of QEDC’s fall pro-

grams is below. For more in-

formation and registration,

please log onto queensny.org

or call (718) 263-0546.

StartUP! Business Plan

Competition

Sponsored by Citi Founda-

tion and the Queens Library

with support from the

Queens Chamber of Com-

merce and Webline Designs.

The competition will award

three businesses with $10,000

while providing training in

how to start a small business.

The competition is open

to all eligible Queens busi-

nesses seeking to start or ex-

pand their operations in

three categories: Innovation; Food-

Based; and Social Enterprise.

Orientations began Sept. 14, but

participants can register and take

classes online. Classes are free when

taken at the Queens Library or $10

each online.

Women’s Business Center Power

Breakfast

Learn how improve your business

skills. Staying on Track - Oct. 13.

Money: How to use it wisely – Dec.

8. Held at Queens Borough Hall at

8:30 a.m. Cost is $15 per breakfast.

Business Blueprint Series

It is important to gather as much

information as possible in order to

make educated decisions. As most

people’s time is limited, these one-

night seminars pack in a great deal

of information on specific topics.

This fall, the Business Blueprint

Series will offer classes in the fol-

lowing areas: Improving Your Sales

Pitch; Negotiating for Better Re-

sults; Marketing Your Product or

Service; and Learning How to Use

Social Networking to Your Advan-

tage.

Classes are held at the Entrepre-

neur Space in Long Island City. Ne-

gotiation (Oct. 26), Marketing (Nov.

9) and Advanced Social Networking

(Nov. 16). Each class runs from 6-8

p.m. and costs $25.

Community Clinics

Free seminars to help you gain the

knowledge you need to succeed. Res-

taurant Boot Camp – Oct. 24. Social

Enterprises – Oct. 25. Understand-

ing NY Labor Law – Nov. 14. Tax tips

for small businesses - Nov .13.

Classes are held at the Entrepre-

neur Space in Long Island City. All

classes are free, but registration is

required.

Seth Bornstein is the Executive

Director of the Queens Economic

Development Corporation.

Seth Bornstein urges borough businesses to

take advantage of the QEDC.

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It’s important to note that, in the

wake of the financial turbulence ex-

perienced over the past few years,

credit unions continue to be a safe

haven for those trying to choose the

best place to put their savings or seek

loans.

“There’s been turbulence and

confusion in the financial arena re-

cently, and it can be difficult for con-

sumers to make sense of it all,” said

Alan Kaufman, CEO/treasurer of

Melrose Credit Union. “What’s im-

portant to know is that their local

Consider Selecting A Credit Unioncredit union remains well-capitalized

and fully insured, making it a safe

place for their money and for loans.”

Also key to keep in mind is that,

while credit unions are very differ-

ent than banks, they do offer the

same level of security as FDIC-in-

sured banks. Funds of Melrose Credit

Union members are guaranteed un-

der the National Credit Union Share

Insurance Fund to at least $250,000,

with higher total coverage if you have

a combination of accounts. There is

also separate insurance coverage up

Rent vs. Buy

For those who are confident in

their job and have their personal fi-

nances in order now is the time to

buy. The combination of home

prices reduced drastically from their

highs. Interest rates are hovering

near four percent for a 30-year

mortgage. This is one of the most

affordable times to own a home or

apartment. Buyers will be surprised

to find their monthly payments in-

cluding tax deductions and future

appreciation of the property to be

the right choice.

Refinance?

Call a mortgage professional to

see if you qualify for refinancing and

what the monthly savings will be. If

your current rate is at least one per-

Three Tips For Today

From Keller Williams

cent higher than today’s rates, then

refinancing would definitely be

worthwhile. Consider closing costs

and the length of time you plan to

own the property to fully understand

if refinancing makes sense.

Earn Income

As prices on multi-family homes

have come down and rental apart-

ments are in demand, owning a

rental property makes more sense

than in years past. This type of asset

can help balance your volatile stock

portfolio and low-to-no-income pro-

ducing bank or money market ac-

counts. Speak to a real estate profes-

sional so you can fully understand

what being a landlord entails and

how you can choose a good invest-

ment property.

to $250,000 for IRA accounts.

“Our commitment to our mem-

bers’ long-term financial health is

what drives us to lend responsibly

and pursue new ways to offer lower

rates on loans, higher rates on sav-

ings and highly-touted personal ser-

vice,” said Kaufman. “Now more

than ever, people are looking for a

financial institution that values trust,

responsibility and long-term ben-

efits. It’s time they experience the

credit union difference for them-

selves.”

By JASON BANREY

Networking is all about creating

relationships. In business, the rela-

tionships developed have the poten-

tial to produce profitable rewards.

Harnessing that synergy has been at

the core of Business Networking

International’s (BNI) philosophy for

more than 25 years, proving that giv-

ers can always gain.

Business Encouraged To Go BIG

Established in 1922, Melrose

Credit Union is a local, not-for-profit

cooperative financial institution,

owned and controlled by its mem-

bers. Because they answer to their

members, not a large conglomerate

or a paid board of directors, they can

focus on what’s important: The credit

union industry “people helping

people” philosophy.

If you have questions, contact

Melrose Credit Union at (718) 658-

9800 or visit them on the internet at

melrosecu.org.

Since 1985, BNI has brought to-

gether business professionals

throughout the world, developing

more than 11 million referrals that

have generated $6 billion in busi-

ness.

“We are the world’s largest busi-

ness referral and networking orga-

nization,” said Tim Houston, area

director consultant for BNI New

York City Outer Boroughs Region.

One of BNI’s key elements to suc-

cess is that only one person per pro-

fessional classification or specialty

can join each chapter.

“This allows members to speak

freely about their business without

having their competitors in the

room,” Houston said of weekly

meetings which are currently tak-

ing place throughout the borough

at the organization’s chapters in

Rego Park, Bayside and New Hyde

Park.

Since the first chapter was created

in 2002, the group has migrated

throughout the borough along with

the businesses and their members.

Despite its movements, it has contin-

ued to maintain an influential pres-

ence within many local economies,

helping small businesses weather the

recession with an extensive Rolodex

of contacts.

“BNI is about the development

and cultivation of relationships,” said

Houston, who also recently pub-

lished “The World’s Worst

Networker,” an Amazon Top Three

bestseller.

In order to be a successful mem-

ber, BNI stresses that each business

owner must exemplify three roles:

employer, employee and customer.

“It is important to be willing to

give business first before you expect

to get it,” said Houston of the net-

working organization’s efforts to

educate. “Our members are trained

that they are always standing in front

of a potential referral.”

On Oct. 6, BNI will hold an in-

formational meeting at the Flagship

Diner, located at 138-40 Queens

Blvd., for the borough’s newest chap-

ter in the Briarwood/Jamaica area

called BNI Business Is Great.

As the President and CEO of

Member Brokerage Services at

Melrose Credit Union, Alan Plafker

has witnessed members reap the ben-

efits of networking.

“One member made $20,000 last

year alone from referrals,” Plafker

said about the networking

organization’s strong referral system.

“Whatever someone gives, somebody

gets. It’s a two-way street.”

Although all members from local

businesses are welcome, Plafker

made an emphasis on real estate

agents, florists, dentists and chiro-

practors, as well as home improve-

ment contractors.

“The reason we’re creating a new

group is to open up opportunities to

different professions which aren’t al-

ready represented,” Plafker said.

“Even with a few people it is possible

to generate a lot of business.”

For more information about the

informational meeting or to RSVP

call (718) 523-1300, Ext. 1082 or

send an email to AlanP@MBS-

LLC.com

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718)

357-7400, Ext. 128.

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By JASON BANREY

Before buying a home, the first major purchase

many will make in life is an automobile. Aside from

riding public transportation, having a car is the

next single most prevalent form of transportation

in New York City.

Prior to purchasing your majestic stallion it is

important to get a grasp of how you expect to pay

for your pony. Without cash in hand, a car loan is

likely to be one of your options.

Before applying for a loan it is important “you

How To Land The Right Car Loanunderstand what your needs and finances are,”

said Mark Schienberg, President of the Greater

New York Automobile Dealers Association

(GNYADA).

As a representative of 425 dealers in nine coun-

ties throughout New York State, Schienberg says

it is important for consumers to do their home-

work.

One way to get started is by getting an accu-

rate reading of what your credit score is. All con-

sumers are entitled to a free credit report and can

Ph

oto

b

y Ira C

oh

en

Car dealers all across the borough offer one-stop

shopping where you can get loan approval and pick

up your car on the same day.

locate various resources online to help them find

out where they stand financially. Acquiring a credit

score gives consumers the ability to budget their

monthly expenses in relation to how much they

expect their car payments to be. Especially since

credit scores heavily rely on the type of loan one

is capable of qualifying for.

“Currently, over 95 percent of car buyers within

the Greater New York region are looking for some

sort of finances for both new and used vehicles,”

Schienberg said.

Since the financial crisis hit in 2008, the vol-

ume of car sales has increased and the amount of

loans being doled out by lenders has followed suit.

Although the problem seriously affected lend-

ing to home owners, the amount of those financ-

ing their vehicles that defaulted on their car loans

was less than 1 percent.

“This is why we’re seeing banks that are cau-

tious about lending mortgages but have great rates

for those looking to finance their vehicles,”

Schienberg said.

Garrick Huie of Koeppel Mazda, located at 57-

01 Northern Blvd., agrees that lending is not as

tight as it was in the past – but it admits borrow-

ing still remains tough.

“Each customer is different,” Huie said of the

diverse demographic who come in to his dealer-

ship, interested in purchasing a vehicle. “Although

some customers may have a great credit score they

may not have a long history, which can also affect

the type of loan they qualify for.”

Although car loans can be obtained from a

credit union, bank, or an online lender, car

dealerships now offer a one-stop shop for con-

sumers looking for both a car loan and their dream

vehicle.

As a sales consultant, Huie helps car buyers

acquire the best possible loan from special finan-

cial institutions and prime banks associated with

the manufacturer on an individual basis on site.

His dual position gives him the opportunity to

help customers figure out the best options to fi-

nance their choices.

Before heading to any dealership, Huie rec-

ommends new buyers who do not know their credit

scores to bring in the same documents they would

as if they were going in to a bank: current pay

stubs, proof of address and a driver’s license. By

doing so customers could not only find out their

credit score on the same day but also walk away

with a vehicle of their choice if their credit score

is favorable to the manufacturer’s lender.

For more tips on financing and a car buyers

guide to purchasing a vehicle go to gnyada.com.

Reach Reporter Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext.

128.

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By REYNALDO L. PADILLA

Consider this scenario: You are a blue collar

worker and new to the United States. You will be

filing your first, second or third year income tax

return but have no idea of what tax deductions

you can avail yourself of.

So you decide to seek professional help, but

do not know how or who to approach. You seek

this professional help through referrers and you

find three possible sources for help as follows:

H & R Block, which has an accountant with local

education; a CPA from another country who has

Tax Tips: Professional Deductionslearned to prepare income tax returns but has no

formal schooling in the U.S.; or a CPA who was li-

censed to practice in the State where you work. Now

you are baffled as to who to choose. To help you out,

here is some basic information about the preparers.

At H & R Block they train their tax preparers

for three months and give them a certificate that

they are ready to prepare your income tax returns.

They could be teachers, a high school graduate,

accountants or housewives and retirees supple-

menting their income.

The CPA or accountant from another country

who decided to engage in income tax preparation

with a formal or home-based office may be self-

taught on U.S. tax laws, or may have been have

been trained through a firm like H&R Block, but

without a formal education in the United States.

The CPA whose license is acquired through edu-

cation, examination and public accounting expe-

rience in New York as required by the state, is bound

by a code of professional conduct; their license to

practice the profession (including the preparation

of income taxes) is regulated by the State. Their

license can be suspended, revoked or terminated.

With sound judgment, you would select the

professional or the CPA as you would a Doctor of

Medicine rather than an unlicensed doctor. With

the professional you are assured of sound and le-

gal advice on income tax preparation and deduc-

tions available to you as well as the life situations

you will get into as the years progress.

Some possible deductions include:

• Licensing and license renewals

• Industry-specific insurance

• Union dues and professional association fees

• Professional organization dues and profes-

sional journals

• Cost of education required for your job

• Cost of education to upgrade your skills re-

quired for your job

• Travel costs (including bus, train, taxi, car

expenses, tolls, parking fees) incurred between two

places of work or for education purposes.

• Protective clothing such as safety shoes,

glasses and special clothing

• Tools, equipment, and supplies for your job

(watch, answering machine, cell phone)

• Job search expenses

• Travel, transportation, meals and lodging

expenses necessary for finding new employment

• Moving expenses when necessary for busi-

ness reasons

• Cost of compulsory uniforms, special cloth-

ing and shoes required for the job

• Upkeep expenses (including laundry, clean-

ing) for uniforms and work clothing

• Child or dependent care (partially deductible)

• Political contributions

• Computers, software, calculators and elec-

tronic organizers

• Books and professional journals

• Cost of attending conferences, seminars and

training

• Home telephone bill expenses related to your

job

• Donations to registered charities

• Mortgage interest and property taxes

• Closing cost when selling a home and mov-

ing for business-related reasons

• Tax return preparation fees from the previ-

ous year

• Internet connection fees when used for email

and research related to work or continuing studies

• Self education expenses (including books,

course fees, stationery and equipment) as long as

related to the job.

• Taxation and accountancy fees

• Investment expenses and bank charges (in-

cluding financial planning fees)

• Income protection insurance (Disability pre-

mium)

• State and local income taxes

• Medical and dental expenses not covered by

insurance

It would be advisable for you to keep receipts

for all purchases related to work even if they are

not in the list above. It would also reduce the fees

paid to the tax preparer if you can organize or

summarize your deductions by expense category

before submitting them to the CPA professional.

Reynaldo L. Padilla, CPA, is a Partner in Padilla

& Company, LLP.

By JOSEPH OROVIC

Depending on your vantage point

from within the real estate market,

the current state of the economy can

be a benefit or burden. Homeowners,

in general, are seeing their property

values stagnate or even decline across

the borough. And though it may be

tempting to label this stretch of bad

luck as a buyer’s market, tougher

lending restrictions have made life

hard for potential buyers.

So what is one to do? And more

importantly, who has the upper

hand?

According to Daniel Karatzas, an

associate broker for the local

Boeaudoin Realty Group, a change

in perception may help one make the

right decision.

“People behave in a way that’s al-

ways not rational,” he said. “People

who are more emotional always get

caught up in things.”

First, the market has slowed its

pace of transactions significantly

since the economic calamity of 2008.

By Karatzas’ own account, the num-

ber of homes sold has fallen by 40 to

50 percent over the past three years.

Larger homes and units in a bet-

ter condition – Karatzas specializes

mainly in co-op and condo sales –

Time To Buy, But Still Use Cautionretain their values with more consis-

tency. The same cannot be said for

other homes.

“The properties that aren’t in the

best location or in the best condition

benefit the most from an up market,”

Karatzas said, adding they are also

among the first to take a dive when

the market turns sour.

This leaves buyers with good deals

in neighborhoods and areas that are

not necessarily ideal. But factor in a

bizarrely strict-but-generous credit

market and Karatzas said buying

could be a reward for those with the

correct mindset.

Mortgage rates are at their lowest

since 1952. Granted, banks and

other lending institutions have in-

creased their emphasis on restric-

tions and standards, making it more

difficult to get a mortgage.

But if the right buyer qualifies,

they can face years of cheap mort-

gage payments, due to stricter stan-

dards that require more money down

and a greater burden of proof on in-

come.

The rules can seem a bit arbitrary

at time though, Karatzas cautioned.

“We’ve had kooky requests and 65

conditions on a loan commitment,”

he said.

This has weeded out many buy-

ers who once flooded the market,

flush with ambition and debt – and

severely detached from reality. Their

droves once pushed the real estate

market up. But in their absence, calm

has resumed.

“When lending criteria tighten,

the number of qualified buyers de-

clines, then the demand side de-

clines,” Karatzas said.

Regardless of your market and the

area you buy in, it could spell out

beaucoup savings and a smart invest-

ment over the long run, according

to Karatzas.

“There are a lot of psychological

expectations in buyer’s feelings and

willingness to pay,” Karatzas said.

Your best bet, should you want to

buy, is to assess how much a lender

is willing to give you – before driv-

ing around searching for “For Sale”

signs on lawns, according to

Karatzas.

“What they should do is talk to a

lender and get pre-approved unless

they feel they can pay all cash,” he

said. “That will at least indicate to

them what the bank will be willing

to lend them.”

Armed with that information, po-

tential buyers can then hit the streets

or find a Realtor and shop around.

Knowing your budget on a home in-

stantly limits your search to some-

thing realistic.

“You have to figure out what prop-

erties work for you financially. I

would say people are more realistic

now and can’t literally overspend,”

Karatzas said.

Preparing to sell? Be sure to get a

sure dose of reality before hand.

Things are not as rosy as they were

half a decade ago, Karatzas said.

“By now, because we’re three years

into their financial crisis, unless

they’re delusional, they know the re-

ality of things. It’s the Realtor’s job

to provide [sellers] context for what’s

going on in the market so they can

set expectations on what’s the asking

price,” he said.

But do not assume you can ride

out the rough patch back to big prof-

its on your investment.

“If and when things hopefully

turn around and rates rise, that af-

fects the cost of ownership and causes

prices to drop,” Karatzas said.

“There’s no guarantee the environ-

ment will get better.”

Reach Deputy Editor Joseph Orovic

at jorovic@queeenstribune.com or (718)

357-7400, Ext. 127.

By JASON BANREY

If you are living in Queens, most

likely you are either renting a space

to live or paying a mortgage on the

home you are living in. If you do not

fit in either of those two categories,

it is going to be a cold winter for

you.

The debate between renting and

buying has been going on for ages,

and in a era when everyone is look-

ing to save as much money as pos-

sible, it can be difficult to choose

between the two.

No need to fear, there are options

for prospective buyers looking to get

into a nice space that won’t break the

bank.

Michael Terry is a Certified Finan-

cial Planner with MTP Advisors in

Maspeth. He has been in financial

planning business since 1998, help-

ing Queens’ residents make the right

decisions when it comes to renting

and buying.

According to Terry, a variety of

factors go into the decisions facing

buyers and renters, all based on a

mix of different circumstances. Gen-

erally he recommends buying a home

because it pays off in the long run.

But for individuals who cannot meet

the necessary down payment and

who do not have a good credit score,

options may be limited.

Seeing a financial planner can

help individuals make sense out of

what their financial capabilities are

when considering where they want to

go. “What happens all too often is

Many Choose To Keep On Renting

people buy a house and it turns out

being too expensive for them.” said

Terry.

Renting, overall, has fewer initial

costs than owning a home. Typically

rent is steady for the average renter.

Although rent may increase due to

inflation, tenants usually sign an

agreement that states their steady

monthly price.

Individuals just out of college may

not have too many options either,

which makes renting the only viable

decision, after considering moving

back in to their parents’ house.

Buying a house presents a long list

of costs. For example, the purchase

price of the home, a down payment,

a loan amount (if you are lending

from the bank), loan interest rates,

homeowner’s insurance, property

taxes and maintenance costs – just

to name a few.

Terry stresses it all depends on the

individual. If you have enough

money for the down payment and

your credit score is good, buying a

home will give you a sense of owner-

ship and provide you with an invest-

ment that may reap gains in the long

run.

“If you can’t pay the down pay-

ment you will not get the mortgage.”

said Terry. “It’s harder to get a mort-

gage now. Banks should ease up a bit

in the coming years when it comes

to giving out loans. But that transi-

tion will be slow.”

Terry is optimistic about mort-

gage trends in Queens and is stand-

ing by to help individuals make the

right decisions.

Whether you are looking to rent

or buy, Queens has plenty of space

that is looking to be occupied. “Al-

though I wouldn’t say it’s cheaper,

but [Queens has] places with value,

space, transportation, good condi-

tions, good buildings, etc,” said

Adriano Hultman, Associate Broker

for Prudential Douglas Elliman Real

Estate.

Many neighborhoods in Queens

are experiencing rejuvenation.

“Astoria, Long Island City, Forest

Hills, Sunnyside, Woodside, Flush-

ing, Bayside, Elmhurst and others

offer great living conditions.” said

Hultman.

In one of these areas the average

rental per month can range from

$1,100 in low end to $1,900 or more

in a one-bedroom, brand-new eleva-

tor building. “As far as price of apart-

ments go, there are co-ops in the

market from $140,000 or less and

one-bed condos from $240,000 up to

$600,000.” said Hultman.

Renting is renting, and you’ve got

to live somewhere. However, in the

long run, buying a home will give

buyers a sense of ownership in a

growing borough that has something

for everyone.

The decision to rent or buy your home rests solely in the hands of the tenant.

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How To Make And Stick To A BudgetHaving a family and maintaining

a steady, foolproof budget can

oftentimes be a difficult, stress-in-

ducing process. Here are some tips

about how to budget your money

wisely for the economical benefit of

your household.

Hold on to every financial state-

ment you can. This includes bank

statements, investment accounts, re-

cent utility bills and any information

regarding a source of income or ex-

pense. The key for this process is to

create a monthly average, so the

more information you can round up

the better.

Record each and every source of

your income. If you are self-em-

ployed or have any miscellaneous

sources of income, be sure to record

these as well. If your income is in the

form of a regular paycheck where

taxes are automatically deducted,

then using the net income, or take

home pay, amount is fine. Record

this total income as a monthly

amount.

Create a list of monthly ex-

penses. Write down a list of all the

expected expenses you plan to incur

over the course of a month. This in-

cludes a mortgage payment, car pay-

ments, auto insurance, groceries,

utilities, entertainment, dry clean-

ing, auto insurance, retirement or

college savings and essentially every-

thing you spend money on. Make

sure to categorize them in an easily

readable and relatable manner.

Break expenses into two catego-

ries: fixed and variable. Fixed ex-

penses are those that stay relatively

the same each month and are re-

quired parts of your way of living.

They included expenses such as your

mortgage or rent, car payments,

cable and/or internet service, trash

pickup, credit card payments and so

on. These expenses for the most part

are essential, yet not likely to change

in the budget.

Variable expenses are the type that

will change from month to month

and include items such as groceries,

gasoline, entertainment, eating out

and gifts, to name a few. This cat-

egory will be important when mak-

ing adjustments.

Total your monthly income and

monthly expenses. If your end re-

sult shows more income than ex-

penses you are off to a good start.

This means you can prioritize this

excess to other areas of your budget,

such as retirement savings or paying

more on credit cards to eliminate

that debt faster. If you are showing a

higher expense column than income,

it means some changes will have to

be made.

Make adjustments to expenses. If

you have accurately identified and

listed all of your expenses, the ulti-

mate goal would be to have your in-

come and expense columns to be

equal. This means all of your income

1. Budgets are a necessary evil.

They’re the only practical way to

get a grip on your spending - and to

make sure your money is being used

the way you want it to be used.

2. Creating a budget generally

requires three steps.

- Identify how you’re spending

money now.

- Evaluate your current spending

and set goals that take into account

your long-term financial objectives.

- Track your spending to make

sure it stays within those guidelines.

3. Use software to save grief.

If you use a personal-finance pro-

gram such as Quicken or Microsoft

Money, the built-in budget-making

tools can create your budget for you.

4. Don’t drive yourself nuts.

One drawback of monitoring your

spending by computer is that it en-

courages overzealous attention to

detail. Once you determine which

categories of spending can and

should be cut (or expanded), concen-

trate on those categories and worry

less about other aspects of your

spending.

5. Watch out for cash leakage.

If withdrawals from the ATM ma-

chine evaporate from your pocket

without apparent explanation, it’s

time to keep better records. In gen-

eral, if you find yourself returning

to the ATM more than once a week

or so, you need to examine where

that cash is going.

6. Spending beyond your limit is

dangerous.

But if you do, you have got plenty

of company. Government figures

show that many households with to-

tal income of $50,000 or less are

spending more than they bring in.

Things To Know

This doesn’t make you an automatic

candidate for bankruptcy - but it is

definitely a sign you need to make

some serious spending cuts.

7. Beware of luxuries dressed up

as necessities.

If your income does not cover

your costs, then some of your spend-

ing is probably for luxuries - even if

you’ve been considering them to be

filling a real need.

8. Tithe yourself.

Aim to spend no more than 90

percent of your income. That way,

you’ll have the other 10 percent left

to save for your big-picture items.

9. Don’t count on windfalls.

When projecting the amount of

money you can live on, don’t include

dollars that you can’t be sure you will

receive, such as year-end bonuses,

tax refunds or investment gains.

10. Beware of spending creep.

As your annual income climbs

from raises, promotions and smart

investing, do not start spending for

luxuries until you are sure that you

are staying ahead of inflation. It is

better to use those income increases

as an excuse to save more.

is accounted for and budgeted for a

specific expense. If you are in a situ-

ation where expenses are higher than

income, you should look at your vari-

able expenses to find areas to cut.

Since these expenses are typically

non-essential, it should be easy to

shave a few dollars in a few areas to

bring you closer to your income.

Review your budget monthly. It

is important to review your budget

on a regular basis to make sure you

are staying on track. After the first

month take a minute to sit down and

compare the actual expenses versus

what you had created in the budget.

This will show you where you did well

and where you may need to improve.

The above chart is a basic spreadsheet for calculating a monthly household

budget. Feel free to clip it out, copy it and use it to help keep track of monthly

expenses.

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Monthly Budget Planner

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Credit Check:

Understanding How Credit Works

Makes Gaining It An Easier Task

(continued from page 17)

date score information and credit

report information.

Credit Score Compilation

Credit reports are put together by

credit bureaus that receive informa-

tion from your lenders and credit

card companies beginning the mo-

ment you sign up for a credit card or

a line of credit.

Credit reports and ultimately

credit scores are determined using a

number of different factors: 35 per-

cent of the report is based on pay-

ment history. Late payments, liens,

collections, repossessions, bankrupt-

cies, foreclosures and settlements can

also negatively affect this part of the

score. The more recent the factor, the

more it effects the score. It is here

that on-time payments in full can

positively affect a report.

Another 30 percent of the score

is based on debt. There are three

different types of debt: revolving,

which includes the amount of debt

on your credit card at any given

time; installment, which is the debt

you have on a mortgage or a car

loan; and open, which includes any

payment that needs to made in full

at the end of the month.

Further, a credit report uses the

length of your history (15 percent

of total), the number of different

forms of credit (10 percent) and how

often you’ve opened new lines of

credit (10 percent) in order to com-

pile a score.

What Causes Change?

There are some obvious factors

that would change a credit score, but

the amount each feature changes the

score can vary.

Simply making a late payment

does hurt your credit score, but if

the payment is made in full, it’s

likely the damage would be mini-

mal. Bankruptcy, foreclosures, de-

faults and settlements can hurt your

credit score far more.

Shorter credit history hurts a

credit score as lenders would still be

unsure of your ability to pay. For ex-

ample, a person with a credit score

of 794 is likely to be hurt if their old-

est credit account is less than the av-

erage for someone with that score,

which FICO says is currently 19

years, with the average account be-

ing six to 12 years old. A person with

short history has not shown a long

enough trend of responsibility to

eliminate risk.

Also, if you go long periods of

time without using a credit card, it

can put in question your ability to

pay. A lender will wonder if you

avoiding using credit cards because

you can’t afford payments.

Missed payments hurt your credit

score far more when it is high than

when it is already low. For example,

if you are credit score is 794, it will

likely hurt because 93 percent of

credit users with that score have

never missed a payment, according

to FICO.

Trying to open too many lines of

credit can also hurt your score. Lend-

ers will wonder if you are seeking

credit because you are short on cash

at the moment and want to defer

payment until later. Maybe you’re out

of a job or under too much debt and

are just buying some time.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718)

357-7400, Ext. 125.

Equifax

(888) 202-4025,

equifax.com

Experian

(888) 397-3742

experian.com/

TransUnion

(800) 493-2392

transunion.com/

Credit Reporting

Agencies

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Queens Today

ENTERTAINMENT

AMAZING MAZEThrough Oc tober 30 theAmazing Maize Maze3 11-4:30 at the Queens CountyFarm Museum, 73-50 LittleNeck Parkway. $9, $5 chil-dren. 347-3276.SOUNDS OF COLOMBIAThrough Oc tober 30 a tThal ia Spanish Theatre inSunnyside. 729-3880.MOVING IMAGEThrough January 16 J imHenson Screenings and Pro-grams. Museum of the Mov-ing Image, 36-01 35 th Av-enue , As to r i a . 777 -6800 .$15.JAZZ & R&BSaturday, October 1 Jazz,r&b, Brazilian music at 2 atthe Flushing library.STREET FAIRSaturday, Oc tober 1 S t .Paul’s International LutheranChurch’s 5th Annual Interna-tional Street Fair 10-4 at thecorner of 263rd Street andUnion Turnpike, Floral Park.Blessing of the pets, enter-tainment, games, vendors,more.BOYZ OF SUMMERSaturday, Oc tober 1 f ilm atF lush ing Town Ha l l . 463 -7700.APPLE FESTIVALSunday, October 2 at theQueens Count y Farm Mu-seum 11-5. 73-50 Little NeckParkway. Free.SUNDAY CONCERTSunday, October 2 Domini-can Folk and Modern Meren-gue at the Central library at3 .LIVE JAZZSundays through December18 at 180-25 Linden Blvd.,St. Albans from 5-9. $5 do-nation. 347-262-1169.BOLLYWOODMonday, Oc tober 3Rhythms of Bollywood at 6 atthe Jackson Heights library.BINGOTuesdays at 7:15 at Ameri-can Martyrs Church, churchbasement , 216 -01 Un ionTurnp ike , Bays ide . 464 -4582. Tuesdays at 7:15(doors open 6) at the RegoPark Jewish Center, 97-30Queens Blvd. 459-1000.$3admis s ion inc ludes 12games.SCRABBLETuesdays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 1.GREEK FESTIVALThursday, Oc tober 6through Sunday, October 9a t the Greek Or thodoxShr ine Church , 196 -10Nor the rn B ld . , F lu sh ing .Thursday 6-10, Friday 6-12,Saturday 12-12 and Sunday12-8. Free.LIVE JAZZFridays through December13 at 180-25 Linden Blvd..,S t . A lbans . 347-262-1169ticket information.BANANAGRAM/SCRABBLEFridays at the Windsor Parklibrary at 2.GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays at 2 at the Hillcrestlibrary.CHINASaturday, Oc tober 8 Cel-ebration of Centennial Com-memoration of China withmusic and dance at the Flush-ing library at 2.QUINTET OF AMERICAS

Sunday, October 9 Quintetof Americas performs at theNY Hall of Science. Free withmuseum admis s ion . 699 -0005.OPEN MICSunday, October 9 at 2 atthe Central library.SAY YOU HEARSunday, October 9 “Say YouHeard My Echo” theater per-formance of spoken word atF lush ing Town Ha l l . 463 -7700.

OPEN MICMondays, October 10, No-vember 14, December 12evening of poetry at 7:30 atBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike.STAMP SHOWSundays, Oc tober 23, No-vember 20, December 18Bayside Stamp Show at theRamada Inn, 220-33 North-ern Blvd., Bayside 10-4:30.Free admission.

HEALTH

EXHIBIT

QUEENS COLLEGE ARTThrough October 14 “Thisi s Pe r sona l : Michae lRagsdale’s 9/11 exhibition.October 20 through Janu-ary 13 “In Perpetuum: TheFall: Will Corwin” exhibition.Queens College Art Center.997-3770.FLUSHING COUNCILThrough November 14 “En-dangered Art/ ists: China.”November 19 through Janu-ary 7 “Korean Painting Ex-h ib i t ion: A Walk ThroughNature.” Permanent displaysinclude “Jazz Live!”, “Flush-ing Town Hall:” Fact or Folk-lore,” an historical exhibi -tion on Flushing Town Hall,“Legends of the Queens JazzTrail” 463-7700.HALL OF SCIENCEThrough January 15 WildMinds: What Animals ReallyThink. Adults $11, children2017 $8, col lege studentsand seniors $8. 699-0005.MOVING IMAGEThrough January 16 J imHenson’s Fantastic World.Museum of the Moving Im-age, 35th Avenue and 37th

Street, Astoria. $15 adults.777-6888.

YOGA CLASSESSaturdays 10-11 and Sun-days 9:30-10:30 workshopson Yoga. Other classes in-clude meditation, Ayurvedic,yoga phi losophy, Sanski r tlanguage. Hispanic Cham-ber of Commerce in JacksonHeights. 646-912-1885.NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS7 days a week. 962-6244.MARIJUANA ANONYMOUSSundays 7-8:30 at Zion Epis-copal Church, 143-01 North-ern Blvd., entrance on 44th

Avenue, room 5, Little Neck.WAITANKUNGSundays at 2. Waitankung isa great total-body workout.Join these ancient Chineseexercise classes in the Flush-ing Hospital/Medical Centerauditorium on 45th Avenuebe tween Pa r sons andBurling. Free. Jimmy 7-10pm347-2156 information.CANCER SUPPORTMondays, Oc tober 3, No-vember 7 , December 5Franklin Hospital ’s CancerSupport Group meets 2-4 inthe cafeteria. 516-256-6478.STRESS LESSMondays, Oc tober 3, 17,24, 31 Achieve more andstress less through the powerof meditation at the Flushinglibrary at 6.NICOTINE ANONYMOUSMondays 6:45-8:00 at theCenter for Tobacco Control,225 Commun i t y Dr i ve ,Great Neck. 516-510-7826.TAI CHIMondays and Thursdays at11 at the Card iac Heal thCenter in Fresh Meadows.670-1695. $5 a class.GAM-ANONTuesdays Free Synagogue ofFlushing and Zion EpiscopalChurch. Wednesdays A l lSaints Episcopal Church inBayside, First PresbyterianChurch in Fo res t H i l l s ,Church on the Hill in Flush-ing and United MethodistChurch in Middle Vi l lage.Thursdays Free Synagogueof Flushing and Zion Episco-pal Church. Call 1-877-664-2469.CAREGIVERS SUPPORTEver y Tuesday We ste rnQueens Caregiver Networkin Sunnys ide . 5 :30 -6 :30 .784-6173, ext. 431.CAREGIVERS SUPPORTEvery Tuesday 3:30-4:30 atthe Selfhelp Clearview Se-nior Center, 208-11 26th Av-enue, Bayside. 631-1886.EATING HABITSWednesday, October 5 YouAre What You Eat… at 6 atthe Flushing library.ZUMBA

Wednesdays the Sisterhoodof Bay Terrace Jewish Cen-te r , 13 -00 209 th S t ree t ,Bayside, will hold Zumba Fit-ness classes from 7:30-8:30.$8 members , $10 others .428-6363.YOGAWednesdays 5:30-6 :30 atthe Cardiac Health Centerin F resh Meadows . 670 -1695. $10 class.OAThursdays a t the HowardBeach library at 10:30.FREE YOGAThursdays, October 6, 13,20, 27 at the QueensboroHill library. Register.ZUMBAThursday, October 6 at theLefrak City library. Register.OAFridays 6:30-8:30 at UnityCenter of F lushing, 42-11155 th S t ree t . Saturdays10:30-noon at ResurrectionAscension, Feely Hall, 85-1861st Road, Rego Park. Be-ginners meeting except thelast Friday of each month,which is a writing meeting.CO-DEPENDENTS ANON.Fridays 10-11:45 at Resur-rection Ascension PastoralCente r , 85 -18 61 st Road ,Rego Park. Women only.

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Queens Today

MEETINGS

MEN’S CLUB SOCCERTuesday evenings at the For-est Hills Jewish Center. 263-7000.FRESH MEADOW CAMERATuesdays the Fresh Mead-ows Camera C lub meets .917-612-3463.ADVANCED WRITERSTuesdays Advanced BaysideWr i te r s ’ Group meet s a t6:30 in the Terrace Diner,

212-97 26th Avenue, upperlevel. Get feedback on yourwr i t ing and develop yourskills.HAM RADIO CLUBTuesdays, Oc tober 4, No-vember 1 , December 6Emergency CommunicationsService meets in Briarwood.357-6851.111TH PRECINCTTuesday, Oc tober 4 111th

Precinct Council meeting at7:30 in the precinct meet-i ng room, 45 -06 215y thStreet, Bayside.TALK OF THE TOWNTuesdays, Oc tober 4, 18,November 1, 15, December6, 20 learn the art of publicspeak ing in S t . A lbans a t7:15. 640-7092.TOASTMASTERSWednesdays , Oc tober 5 ,19, November 2, 16, De-cember 7, 21 learn the artof publ ic speaking at theVoices of Rochdale Toastmas-ters Club in Jamaica. 978-0732.FLUSHING CAMERAWednesdays , Oc tober 5 ,19, November 2, 16, 30,December 7, 21 FlushingCamera Club meets at 7:15at F lushing Hospita l . 479-0643.KNIGHTS OF PYTHIASWednesdays , Oc tober 5 ,19, November 2, 16, De-

cember 7, 21 QueensviewLodge 433 meet s i nWhitestone. 917-754-3093.BEREAVEMENT SUPPORTWednesdays , Oc tober 5 ,November 2, December 7 atHoly Family Catholic Church,175-20 174th Street, FreshMeadows at 7:30.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue . Newmembers welcome.LIBRARY MEETINGThursday, Oc tober 6 Ad-ministrat ive Committee ofthe Board of Trustees meetat 5:30 at the Central library.MEN’S GROUPThursdays, October 6, 20,November 3, 17, December1 Queens P r ide HouseMen’s Group from 7-9 forgay, bi, trans men.WOMEN’S GROUPFridays the Woman’s Groupof Jamaica Estates meets atnoon. Call 461-3193 for in-formation.AMERICAN LEGIONMondays, October 10, No-vember 14, December 12American Legion Post 510meet s a t S t . Rober tBellamine in Bayside Hills.428-2895.

FLEA MARKETS

FLEA MARKETSaturdays and Sundaysthrough October 1 at FaithMission, 114-40 Van WyckExpressway.PARISH FLEASaturday, October 8 9:30-4:00 at Incarnation Schoolaud i to r ium and g rounds ,Francis Lewis Blvd. between89 th and 90 th Avenues ,Queens Village.ST. JOSAPHATSaturday, October 8 11-4and Sunday, October 9 9-3at St. Josaphat’s RC Church,35 th Avenue and 210 th

Street, Bayside.RUMMAGE SALESaturday, October 8 10-4and Sunday, October 9 12-4 annual rummage sale at St.Luke’s, 85 Greenway South,Forest Hills.AUTUMN TREASURESaturday, October 8 9:30-3:30 and Sunday, October9 11:30-3:30 at Church ofthe Resu r rec t ion , 85 -09118th Street, Richmond Hill.THRIFT SHOPSSaturdays 11-4 at BargainBout ique Th r i f t Shop ,Queens Baptist Church, 93-23 217th Street, Queens Vil-l age .465 -2504 . F i r s t andThird Wednesdays throughJune at Grace Church, 14-15 C l in tonv i l l e S t ree t ,Whitestone. 767-6305.

TALKS

FINANCIAL EMPOWER.Monday, October 3 Finan-cial Empowerment Center atthe LIC library at 2.BOOK CLUBMonday, October 3 “GlassCastle” discussed at 2 at theWindsor Park library.LONG TERM CAREThursday, October 6 at theEast Elmhurst library at 7.FLUSHING BOOKFriday, October 7 “Houseof the Spirits.” Friday, No-vember 4 “The Help.” Fri-day , December 2 “TheS t ranger . ” F lu sh ing BookDiscussion Groups at 1 at theFlushing library.HILLCRESTTuesday, October 11 “SillAlice” will be discussed at theHillcrest library at 2.

CATHOLIC VETSMondays, October 10, No-vember 14, December 12American Mart yrs CatholicWar Veterans Pos t 1771meets in Bayside. 468-9351.TELEPHONE PION.Tuesdays, October 10, No-vember 8 , December 13Te lephone P ioneer s o fAmer ica meet in Co l legePoint. 463-4535.VFW 4787Mondays, Oc tober 10, 24,November 14, 21, Decem-ber 12, 26 Whitestone VFWCommunity Post meets. 746-0540.LIONS CLUBTuesdays, October 11, No-vember 8 , December 13Ravenswood L ion C lubmeets at 6:30 at Ricardo’s bythe Bridge, 21-01 21st Av-enue, Astoria.DEMOCRATIC CLUBThursdays, October 13, No-vember 10 , December 8Jefferson Democratic Clubmeets at the Clearview GoldCourse Clubhouse at 7:30.ILION BLOCK ASSN.Fridays, Oc tober 14, No-vember 11 , December 9Ilion Area Block Associationmeets at the African Centerfor Communi t y Empower-ment , 111 -92A Fa rmersBlvd., St. Albans at 7:30.BELLA ITALIA MIA

Sundays, Oc tober 16, No-vember 13, December 11Be l la I ta l i a Mia meets a tChrist the King High School,68-02 Metropolitan Avenue,Middle Village. 426-1240.P-FLAGSundays, Oc tober 16, No-vember 20, December 18 P-FLAG, a support group forparents, families and friendsof lesbians and gays, meetin Forest Hills. 271-6663.AUBURNDALETuesdays, October 18, No-vember 15 Auburndale Asso-ciation meets at St. Kevin’s,45-21 194th Street at 7:30.BEREAVEMENT SUPPORTTuesdays, October 18, No-vember 15, December 20 atHoly Family Catholic Church,175-20 174th Street, FreshMeadows at 7:30.JEWISH VETSSunday, October 23 JewishWar Veterans of the USALipsky/Blum Post meet Gar-den Jew i sh Cente r . 463 -4742.

RELIGIOUS

BAYSIDE JEWISHThursday and Friday, Sep-tember 29, 30 morning RoshHashanah service3. Octo-ber 7, 8 Yom Kippur service.352-7900.

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SENIORS

AUTUMN COMPUTERSStar t ing in Oc tober theSelfhelp Benjamin Rosenthal-Prince Street Senior Centerholds a series of computerclasses. 445-3864.AARP CHORUSL ike to s ing? The AARPQueens Chorus holds prac-t ice rehearsals for perfor -mances at nursing homes,rehab and senior centers .523-1330.COMEDY WRITINGMondays at the Kew Gar-dens Communi t y Cente r.268-5960.SNAP BELL PARKMonday, October 3 f lu shots9-2. Monday, October 10blood pressure screening.SNAP Bell Park. 740-3906.AARP 3654Tuesdays, Oc tober 4, No-vember 1 AARP chapter2654 meets in Bayside. 423-4237.BAYSIDE CENTERTuesdays line dancing 9:30and Thursdays 10:00. Fri-days ballroom instruction at10:15, ballroom and socialdancing 1-3. Bayside Centerfor classes in movie, pingpong , b r idge ins t ruc t ion ,healthy lifestyle, card games,Wii bowling, painting, ESL,computer, exercise, dance,we l lness workshops , e tc .Lunch at 11:30. 225-1144.

YOUTH

TEENS

INTRO KNITTINGSaturdays, October 1, 8 forthose 10-16 at the Steinwaylibrary. Register.HOMEWORK HELPSaturdays, October 1, 8, 15,22, 29 tutors at the Baysidelibrary at 10.CHESS CLUBEvery Saturday at the Flush-ing library at 2.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.

QUEENS LIBRARIESMany b ranches o f theQueensborough Library of-fer toddler and pre-schoolprograms. Contact your lo-cal branch for dates.MATH HELPSaturdays at the Flushing li-brary at 10.HOMEWORK HELPSaturdays 10-noon teen tu-tors available at the Baysidelibrary.CHESS CLUBEvery Saturday at the Flush-ing library at 2.STORY TIMESSaturdays at 11 and Tues-days at 10:30 weekly storytimes at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 Union Turnpike , F reshMeadows.HEALTHY EATINGMonday, October 3 at theLefrak City library. Register.LITERACYMonday, Oc tober 3 Infor-mation Literacy for Kids atthe Windsor Park l ibrary.Register .KNIT & CROCHETMondays a t 4 a t theDouglaston/Li t t le Neck l i -b ra r y. B r ing need les andyarn.HOMEWORK HELPMondays 3:30-5:00 teen tu-tors available at the Baysidelibrary.CRAFTS

Wednesday, October 5 atthe Steinway library at 11 forthose 2-4.HEALTHY EATINGWednesday, October 5 atthe Bayside library. Register.CHESSWednesdays at the QueensVillage library at 3:30.KNITTINGEvery Wednesdays at theBayside library at 4.TOPS TRUMP CARDEvery Wednesday tourna -ment at the LIC library at 4.REMAKE ITThursday, Oc tober 6 eco-fr iendly craft workshop atthe Sunnyside library. Reg-ister.KIDS CLUBThursday, October 6 at theHillcrest library at 4:30.CRAFT TIMEEvery Thursday at 3:30 atthe Ozone Park library.BOY SCOUTSThursdays Boy Scout Troop138 meets at 7:30 in thebasement at 192-15C 64th

Circle, Fresh Meadows. Forthose 11 and o lder . 454-2391.FAMILY STORY TIMEFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Queensboro Hilllibrary at 11.GAME DAYFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Bay Terrace library

CAREGIVERSEvery Tuesday CaregiversSupport group at 3:30-4:30at the Se l fhe lp Clearv iewSenior Center, 208-11 26th

Avenue, Bayside. 631-1886.CHAIR EXERCISETuesdays low impact chairexercise at 11 at the Flush-ing-Fresh Meadows JewishCenter. $5. 357-5100.STAY WELLWednesdays at 10:15 at theEast Elmhurst library for ex-ercise and other health re-lated programs.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue . Newmembers welcome.STARSFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 Senior Theater ActingReper tory a t the QueensVillage library at 10:30. 776-0529.DANCE LESSONSFridays, October 7, Novem-ber 4 , December 2 f reedance l e s sons a t thePomonok Center. 591-3377.

AARP 4158Tuesdays, October 11, No-vember 8 , December 13North Flushing chapter 4158

meets at noon at the Churchon the Hill, 167-07 35th Av-enue, Flushing. New mem-bers and visitors welcome.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGTuesday, October 11 at theAuburndale library. 641-3911to register.AARP 29Thursday, Oc tober 13 atGrace House, 155-02 90th

Avenue, Jamaica.FREE LUNCHSaturday, Oc tober 29 a tChurch of the Resurrectionin Kew Gardens. 847-2649.ACQC SUPPORTACQC Teen Peer Suppor tGroup - i n fo fo r those“ touched by HIV/A IDS . ”Ages 14-16. 896-2500.

at 2:30.YU-GI-OHFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Queensboro Hilllibrary at 4.BOOK BUDDIESFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Bayside library at4 .GAME TIMEFridays, October 7, 14, 21,28 at the Windsor Park li-brary at 4.ARTS & CRAFTSFridays at 2 at the QueensVillage library.ARTS & CRAFTSFridays at the LIC library at2 .GAME DAYFridays at the Queens Vil-lage library at 2.FLASH FRIDAYSEvery Fr iday a t 3 at theOzone Park library.GAME PLAYERSEvery Friday at the Hillcrestlibrary at 4.CUB SCOUTS 351Fridays at St. Nicholas ofTolentine school cafeteria,Pa r sons B lvd . and Un ionTurnpike. Boys in grades 1-5. 820-0015.HISPANIC HERITAGESunday, October 9 Hall ofScience celebrates HispanicHeritage Month with hands-on science activit ies. Freewith NYSCI admission.

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Conf ident ia l ly, New York . . .

Leave The KidsA Queens thief thought he hit

the jackpot when he saw a stand-ing minivan with the keys left inthe ignition last week. What a sur-prise when he hopped in to findtwo children and the family dog!

Still, he took off with the boysand the yapping poodle. Quicklytired of the extra baggage, the thiefasked the kids for their addressand safely returned them to theirHoward Beach home.

The thief, who introduced him-self to the boys as “Leo,” said hewould have stolen the van if it wasempty. Maybe Leo will check theback seat before the next time hedecides to hop in someone else’sdriver’s seat.

Nikki Marie is new to the mod-eling game. Although you may notnotice the Ozone Park teen, shesays someday she will soon begracing the covers on magazinesin newsstands everywhere.

“Modeling is something I’vealways wanted to do,” Marie said.“Since I’m young, I decided tostart now.”

After getting her braces off,Marie received the boost of confi-dence she believes she needed tobreak into the modeling scene.

From cheerleading at PS 232in Lindenwood to dancing atFabio’s dance studio in HowardBeach, this modeling newbie

Nikki MarieHome: Ozone ParkAge: 16Height: 5’5"Weight 100 lbsStats: 34-24-34

“Sweet 16”

Models Of Queens

seems to be blossoming intoQueens’ next best thing.

Many of her supporters comefrom under the same roof as Marieand give her the right amount ofencouragement she says sheneeds to succeed, both in model-ing and in academics.

“My parents said I’m perfectfor modeling,” she said. “But theyalso push me to do well in school.”

With the support of her par-ents, she hopes to eventually gracethe cover of Seventeen Magazinebefore eventually becoming aswimsuit model.

Although she has aspirationsto be seen as the borough’s next

up-and-coming beauty queen shealso hopes to hone her skills inlitigation as a back up plan.

“I’d love to be a lawyer,” saidMarie of her aspirations to some-day attend Stony Brook Univer-sity in Long Island.

“I know it’s weird, the differ-ent combinations of things, but Ithink it’ll work out somehow.”

With more photo shoots com-ing up in her schedule, we couldlook forward to someday seeingthe South Queens star plasteredon many of the nation’s top model-ing magazines.

“I know with a bit of work I canmake it big.”

Free ParkingOn a recent Monday morning, one QConf staffer

was merrily headed to work only to find his red JeepWrangler had gone AWOL from its cozy 30th Av-enue parking spot (the clunker has been immortalizedon this page once before).

The excitement of assuming someone finally stolethe junk on wheels faded when a project manageroverseeing the repaving of 30th Avenue told him hissloppy jalopy was towed down the block, parked infront of a school.

Aha! The city put the rusting heap in a zone whereit will surely be ticketed. How predictable!

But alas, as the staffer approached his automotivenightmare, he found a flier from the Dept. of Designand Construction telling the NYPD, Dept. of Trans-portation and Sanitation to “Please Do Not Sum-mons.”

A free tow with a get out of jail free card attached?Could this be a new level of benevolence from a

city known for nickel and diming its citizens? Ormaybe it just helps to live in the City Council PublicSafety Committee Chair’s district?

We’ll chalk it up to the latter. Thanks CouncilmanVallone!

We in Queens are always look-ing for ways to lure that touristmoney from Manhattan. We host abaseball team, a tennis tournament,and soon, we’ll have a casino, butfor many who visit New York,Queens is merely the part of the cityyou drive through to get from theplane to your hotel.

But one tour group; BoroughExcursions, seeks to bring touriststo our borough to see our sites…at least for most of the tour.

Part of the group’s Queens tour, roundtrip from Citi Field, is to seethe Louie Armstrong House in Corona, a drive by of Kaufman Studios

Which Borough?

And So It Begins…

Tim Byrdak

The 2011 baseball season wasjust a week or so shy of being over,and the Mets are already makingplans for 2012.

Though giant question markslinger regarding Jose Reyes’ fu-ture with the team, and the Metsended up declining to take $200million from wannabe investorDavid Einhorn, the team is makingplans for next season – big plans.

What plans? Oh… uh… TimByrdak. Yeah, that’s right, we saidit. Tim Byrdak. We’ve got himinked for another year.

Oh, and that ridiculously deepleft field fence at Citi Field? Yeah,we’re moving that. David Wrightand Jason Bay hit too many shots

off of it this past year for us to notrealize that maybe it was a bit far.

What do you mean other teamswill hit more home runs? Have youseen our pitching staff? Nobody’sgetting past us. We’ll probablyhave Johan Santana back, andJon Niese is looking good.Capuano and Gee will probably,most likely, kinda, sorta be on theteam and… well... did we mentionTim Byrdak.?

Hmmmm… 2013, anyone?

Queens’ Top Shot

Michael Marell

Guns A-Blazin’

and the Museum of the MovingImage in Astoria, shop and eat atRego Park Mall and tour FlushingMeadows Corona Park and Down-town Flushing. But that’s notenough to entice tourists toQueens apparently. BoroughExcursion’s trips also have this:

“Visit to Manhattan where wewill pass Rockefeller Center, TimesSquare then head to 34th Streetpass the Empire State Building.”

Sigh. Addisleigh Park? ForestHills Gardens? Rockaway Beach,the largest urban beach in theUnited States? Hell, the tour takesyou past George Costanza’s par-ents’ house from “Seinfeld,” per-haps you want to drop by ArchieBunker’s in Glendale?

We’ll always be Manhattan’sred-headed step-sibling, won’t we?

The ticketless clunker

One Queens Supreme Court Of-ficer is exercising his second amend-ment right on reality TV. Michael

Marelli has made it to the top 10of “TopShot,” acompeti-

tion for thenation’s sharp-

shooters.He left the court

room to square offagainst HomelandSecurity agents, ex-NAVY Seals and fire-arms instructors.

Marelli was so confi-dent in his aim he tooksix weeks’ unpaid vaca-tion to film the HistoryChannel show. Let’shope he takes home the

$100,000.

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