Woodside Herald 3 2 12

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FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 1

VOL. 78, NO. 9 WOODSIDE, L.I.C., N.Y. FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 FREE

SERVING SUNNYSIDE-WOODSIDE AND LONG ISLAND CITY

REPUBLICAN GOP MEETINGMonday, March 6th @ 7:30PM

Nak Won Reformed Church, 41-20 Queens Blvd.Please use the side entrance on 42nd St.

All Republican Members Are Invited!

UNITED FORTIES CIVIC ASSOC.Thursday, March 8th @ 7PM

Guest Speaker: Joe Raskin, MTASt. Teresa Parish Center, 50-22 45th Street, Woodside

Celebrating A MilestoneA well-known and beloved com-munity leader, Diane Ballek, washonored Saturday, February 25th

for her Sixtieth birthday by herchildren, Kevin, Alan and Diane,at a party held at the WaterfrontCrab House.

Diane works as an Aide to As-semblywoman Catherine Nolan,but she wears many volunteer hats,including serving as President ofthe NYPD 108th Precinct PoliceCommunity Council, and as anExecutive Board Member on Com-munity Board 2.

by Luke Adams

Stripping FundingFrom Companies That Outsource

Black History Month CelebrationCharging that “companies shouldn’t be rewarded with our tax

dollars when they move New York jobs out of New York,” NYSSenator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Queens) announced that he isintroducing legislation (S.1244) that would prevent businesses fromreaping state tax breaks and other economic benefits when theyoutsource employment opportunities to other states and countries.

The legislation, which is now under consideration by the SenateLabor Committee, of which Addabbo is a member, addresses themany ramifications of providing state resources to businesses thatultimately rob New Yorkers of jobs by employing people outside ofthe state.

“We are all cheated when we allow companies to reach into ourpockets and spend our tax dollars on jobs that aren’t available toworkers here in New York State,” said Addabbo. “Job outsourcingnegatively affects our state and local economies, hurts local resi-dents in need of jobs, and leads to a higher burden on our humanservices and unemployment systems. Unfortunately, we can’t al-ways stop companies from making hurtful outsourcing decisions,but we can make sure that we don’t add insult to injury by lettingthem siphon off scarce state tax resources to move forward withtheir wrong-headed plans.”

Under the bill, business entities that will outsource jobs, follow-ing a determination of this intent by the New York State LaborCommissioner, will not be able to receive state economic incentives,including tax breaks, loans, awards and grants. Businesses will beinformed of these determinations, and will have 30 days to request aState Labor Department hearing to present and argue their case.

“The unemployment picture may be slowly getting brighter, butwe have a long way to go to reduce the jobless rate in New York Stateand put our residents back to work,” said Addabbo. “We want toencourage companies to create good jobs here – not to take our moneyand run to another country where they can pay workers less and addto New York’s unemployment crisis.”

Discussing The FutureOf The YMCA

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan recently meet with LakeishaHarris, Executive Director of the Ridgewood YMCA and EbonyYoung, Executive Director of the Long Island City YMCA during theirannual visit to Albany to discuss the future of the YMCA.

President’s Week Celebration At P.S. 11

(Continued on Page 2)

On February 28th, CM Van Bramer held his Second Annual Black History Month Celebration and AwardsNight at Jacob Riis Settlement House in Queensbridge.

(continued on page 5)

(continued on page 4)

On Friday February 24,2012, Woodside On TheMove’s afterschool program atP.S. 11 Celebrated President’sWeek. The creativity and lead-ership of the Out Of SchoolTime Staff inspired K-6th grad-ers to do wonderful works ofart: portraits of George Wash-ington, a comic strip highlight-ing important aspects of his life;beautiful and touching poemsand essays. Kindergartnersdrew masks, created log cabinsand hand puppets. There waseven a 3rd Grade rap, yes a hiphop song, about the Presidents.

Council Member Van Bramer is joined with winners of the Black History Month EssayContest and Council Member Letitia James.

Diane with long time friendsLily Gavin (Dazies Restaurant)and Patricia Dorfman (VP 108Precinct Community Council).


FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012THE WOODSIDE HERALDPAGE 2

43-11 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside, NY 11104Telephone (718) 729-3772

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kimberly Clarry, Peter A. Ross, Rob MacKay

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERSJoe Gurrado, Robert Flanagan

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Sherilyn Jo Sabba ................................................................. Editor

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Black History Month Celebration(continued from front page)

At the event, Council Member Van Bramer honored the outstanding achievements and dynamiccommunity involvement of:· Cynthia Davis, Director of Community Outreach, The Floating Hospital· William T. Newlin, Executive Director, Jacob A. Riis Center· Pam Thrower, President, Queensbridge TA· Lashawn Marston, aka Suga Ray, Local Spoken Word Artist· Raymond Allen, Activity Specialist for Youth Sports, LIC YMCA· Carol Wilkins, President Ravenswood TA· Annie Cotton-Morris, President, Woodside TA· Robert Burch, Community Liaison, Assembly Member Cathy Nolan· Stanley Simon, Adult Athletics & Recreational Coordinator, LIC YMCA

“Many of the people we’ve honored are staples that help hold our community together and theyshould be recognized for all the hard work they have dedicated toward making our society a better place,”said the Council Member to over 200 people in attendance. “The efforts to celebrate local African-American leaders in our community ensures that the significance of Black History Month is carried onin both our district and our City.”

In addition to the awards ceremony, were also readings by the winners of Van Bramer’s Black HistoryMonth Essay Contest from the students of PS 111, IS 204, William Cullen Bryant High School and the JacobA. Riis After School Program. The celebration also included performances by the Sunnyside Drum Corps,Patricia Barnes and Suga Ray, a local spoken word artist.

Grand Opening of HealthCare ChoicesOn February 28th, CM Van Bramer attended the Grand Opening of HealthCare Choices in Long Island

City. HealthCare Choices at Borden Avenue aims to provide health services to veterans by working incollaboration with the Veterans Administration.

CM Van Bramer, Veteran GeorgeCustance, Julie Irwin (HomelessCare Line Manager of the Dept. ofVeterans Affairs), Peter Campanelli(President/CEO of the Institute forCommunity Living), Maria Siebel(Executive Director of HealthCareChoices), Seth Diamond(Commissioner of NYC Dept. ofHomeless Services), TerranceHolliday (Commissioner the Mayor’sOffice for Veterans Affairs) and DonMcCallian (aides to AssemblyMember Cathy Nolan).



Helping NYC’sFirst Responders

NYC’s need for a public-safety communication network becametragically apparent on September 11th

Japan“A lecture by David Rosasco

on 12 year journey & 1st-handaccount of earthquake”

Saturday,March 10th

from 2-4PMSt. Sebastian’sParish Center39-60 57 Street

Rep. Joe (Queens, the Bronx), DeputyPolice Chief Charles Dowd and FDNYChief of Communications Robert Boycepraised the passage of legislation that pavesthe way to build a nationwide interoperablecommunications network that will helpNYC’s firefighters, police officers and firstresponders communicate efficiently andeffectively. A nationwide interoperablecommunications network will allow po-lice officers, firefighters and other firstresponders to communicate and coordi-nate on one network. The need for such anetwork was made tragically apparent onSeptember 11, 2001 when first respondersfrom different agencies across New YorkCity faced difficulties in communicatingon the front lines of the rescue effortsbecause each agency operated under theirown communication network.

“What became clear on September 11this that too many firefighters and police offic-ers could not communicate with each otherbecause their radios simply didn’t work.Since that day, I have been working withcity and state officials to ensure our firstresponders are never put in that positionagain,” said Rep. Crowley. “The creation ofa nationwide interoperable communicationsnetwork is a long-overdue investment in thesafety of our first responders, and a much-needed tribute to those who put their lives onthe line for us over a decade ago at Ground

Zero. I will continue to work in Congress onbehalf of New York’s first responders toensure that this important step is not the laststep in giving them the tools they need tokeep our communities safe.”

Earlier this month, Congress passed theMiddle Class Tax Relief and Job CreationAct of 2012 (PL 112-96), which extends thepayroll tax cut working middle-class fami-lies. Included in this legislation is languageto authorize the Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) to conduct voluntaryincentivize auctions to repurpose broadcastand other spectrum for wireless broadbanduses. As part of this auction, a portion ofspectrum, known as the D Block, will bededicated for use by the nationwideinteroperable safety network. The bill alsomandates that $7 billion in funding derivedfrom the sale of other spectrum be used tofinance the creation of the first respondernetwork. President Obama signed this billinto law on February 22, 2012.

In addition to being long championedby first responders and the City of NewYork, the creation of this network is also arecommendation made by the 9/11 Com-mission. Crowley called for the establish-ment of this network in his June 2002homeland security report entitled, “SE-CURING NEW YORK: A Blueprint forMeeting New York City’s Homeland Se-curity Requirements”.

Rep. Crowley is joined by officials from NYPD and FDNY at Rescue 4 in Woodside toapplaud legislation creating a public-safety communications network (from left to right:FDNY Chief of Communications Robert Boyce, Rep. Crowley, and NYPD Deputy PoliceChief Charles Dowd).


FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012THE WOODSIDE HERALDPAGE 4(continued from front page)

President’s Week Celebration At P.S. 11

What was quite admirable was the serious tone of the students as they explainedall the things they learned and the pride they had in their work as well as sharing theunique stories of Washington and Lincoln. WOTM Board member Al Volpe, visitingthe school, was delighted by the efforts of the kids, thanking them for their hard workand brilliant productions.

Other visitors included Executive Director Adrian Bordoni, Executive AssistantAdriana Beltran and Administrative Assistant Elizabeth Larison, all Woodside on the Movestaff. Everyone had a chance to be measured against an image of Lincoln, to appreciate howtall he was and for the students to calculate height differences and measurements. One ofthe outstanding presentations was by the Art Instructor Ms. Christina Rodriguez: herstudents were able to create collages, learning coloring techniques, color theory andcreating unique works of arts with a minimalist influence.

The staff, led by Director Justin Petropolous and Program Coordinator Mary Masterson,surprised the guests with the diversity of their original work created for the event.Congratulations to the staff and students and to Principal Efkarpides for all her support inall of Woodside On The Move’s programs. Stay tuned for the upcoming production of theplay Grease, at P.S. 11!



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Celebrating A Milestoneby Luke Adams

(continued from front page)

Food and drink flowed freely and a wonderful band played as local friends and familyattended, including Catherine Nolan, CB2 board members and community leaders. Diane’sjoy was clear as she entertained her grandchildren. It was evident that she thinks of themas her “greatest achievement.” The love for Diane flowed around the room. Congratula-tions, Diane. Here is hoping we are here for your 100th!

Diane in all her gloryas she entertains oneof her grandchildren!

Diane with children Kevin, Alan andDiane and her Grandchildren.

Closures Of BryantAnd LIC High Schools

Schools to close at theconclusion of the 2011-2012 academic year andre-open as completelynew schools this fall.

Statement from Senator Gianaris:“The Department of Education

should realize this proposal does notfactor how such an extreme overhaulof William Cullen Bryant High Schooland Long Island City High Schoolwould affect attending students andhow they learn. Children’s educationshould supersede political posturing,which only further disrupts students’time in the classroom. The City mustkeep the interests of our children at theforefront of their minds and recon-sider this invasive proposal.”



Revamped Tourism Council to PromoteQueens Attractions and Hotels

By Rob MacKay

Eight Western Queens entitiesare among a diverse coalition ofhotels, entertainment venues, res-taurants and cultural institutionsfrom all over the borough thathave joined together to relaunchthe Queens Tourism Council.

With the mission to promotethe borough as a place to stay, eat,experience culture, enjoy natureand have fun, the 23-member QTCheld its first meeting at Long Is-land City’s Z Hotel on Feb. 27.

Meeting attendees – includ-ing representatives from theGreater Astoria/Long Island CityHistorical Society, Holiday InnManhattan View, Laughing DevilComedy Club, The ChocolateFactory Theater, The NoguchiMuseum, Wyndham Garden LIC/Manhattan View, Yelp Queensand the host, Z Hotel — discussedcross-promotional activities thatQTC members will undertake tomake sure that Queens residentsare aware of what’s going on intheir backyards and out-of-towntourists know about the borough’smany wonders. Meeting attend-

brand new Wyndham Gardenhotel. “I’m really excited aboutthe Queens Tourism Council be-cause it will promote all thesewonderful attractions. Finally, theborough is getting the recogni-tion it deserves.”

“There’s an authenticity toQueens that tourists love, andborough is booming,” saidQueens Economic DevelopmentCorporation Executive DirectorSeth Bornstein. “Not long ago,there were very few local hotelsthat I would have recommendedto a friend. Now, we have about90 quality hotels with sweepingskyline views, top-notch onsiterestaurants, even swimmingpools…and all of them are $150-$300 cheaper per night than theircounterparts in Manhattan. Addcountless activities at great mu-seums, theaters and stadiums andyou have a tremendous borough.”

“Thanks to the Queens Tour-ism Council, it’s no longer a se-cret that Queens has it all —fabulous museums, perfor-mances, sports, parks, and res-taurants!” said MichaelCogswell, director of the Louis

Armstrong House Museum.“From the emerging commu-

nities in Long Island City to thecultural institutions of FlushingMeadows-Corona Park, Queensis rapidly becoming a go-to des-tination for New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike,” added DanWempa, vice president of exter-nal affairs at the New York Hallof Science. “The Queens Tour-ism Council is doing great workpresenting the best of what theborough has to offer.”

“Local tourism here in Queensprovides enjoyment for visitorsand jobs for our local economy,”Borough President Helen M.Marshall expressed. “The QueensTourism Council will help boostthe number of tourists who notonly want to see the U.S. Open orMajor League baseball, but alsothose who want a taste with inter-national flavor, whether it be inmusic, dance or the visual arts.We have first-class hotels, a smor-gasbord of restaurants and world-class cultural institutions. We alsohave the most diversified popu-lation of any county in America.Visit Queens. See the World!”

“We’re very excited to be partof the Queens Tourism Coun-cil,” said Timothy J. McGlinchey,general manager of Courtyard byMarriott JFK, which is locatednear John F. Kennedy Interna-tional Airport in Jamaica. “Wehave known for many years thatQueens is not only a great placeto stop over on your way to orfrom the airports, but also a greatplace to stay and play! We can’twait to share with others all theexciting and interesting things todo that borough has to offer.”

QTC was actually estab-lished in the 1980s, but hadfallen into dormancy until thisweek’s meeting.

The Queens Economic De-velopment Corporation promotesthe borough through the “Dis-cover Queens” brand. In additionto maintaining the websitediscoverqueens.info, QEDCmanages the Discover QueensVisitor Center at Queens CenterMall and spearheads promotionssuch as Discover Queens Res-taurant Week, Shop Queens,Shop the World and 75 Days ofSummer.

ees also discussed producing apromotional video, establishing agreater internet presence and im-proving transportation options be-tween venues.

Over the last 15 years, therehas been a surge of interest inQueens, as evidenced by articlesin major publications fromaround the world, new mediacoverage and TV shows based inthe borough. In 2010, more than7 million visitors spent more than$3 billion in Queens, accordingto city records, and the travelsector currently supports roughly16 percent of the jobs in the bor-ough. Plus, there are currentlymore than 80 hotels in Queenswith more than 8,000 rooms.

“I love working in Queensbecause of the multicultural at-mosphere with an abundance ofmuseums, restaurants, theatres,tourist attractions and ethnic res-taurants. Plus, my hotel is so con-venient to Manhattan with suchaffordable rates,” said JeffreyReich-Hale, director of sales andmarketing at Long Island City’s

Opinions WantedDo you have an opinion about something you’ve seen in the Woodside

Herald? Do you agree or disagree with the way something has beendepicted? Send us your opinions and we’ll print them. It’s your

community and we welcome your voice.P.O. Box 7097

Long Island City, NY 11101or simply email the editor at [email protected].

Names can be withheld if requested,but must be sent with submissions.

LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE

Sell Investments for the Right ReasonsIt’s important to understand

which investments to own, andwhen to buy them. But you shouldalso know when it’s time to sellan investment — and why.

Unfortunately, many peoplesell investments for the wrong rea-sons. Some people want the moneyto purchase so-called “hot” invest-ments, even if these new invest-ments aren’t appropriate for theirneeds. Others own investments thathave lost value, and fearing fur-ther losses, they decide to sell —thereby violating the oldest rule ofinvesting: “Buy low and sell high.”

These types of behavior canlead to at least two major prob-lems. First, if you’re constantlyselling investments, you’ll likelyincur fees, commissions and taxesthat can erode any returns youdid manage to achieve. And sec-

ond, by frequently selling off yourinvestments and buying newones, you’ll find it difficult tofollow the type of consistent,long-term financial strategy that’sessential to help you work to-ward your goals.

If you shouldn’t sell invest-ments to find quick gains or toavoid losses that may not evenoccur, when should you sell?

You might want to sell:If your goals have changed

— You bought certain invest-ments because you thought theywould help you make progresstoward your objectives. But overtime, your goals may change, soin response, you may need to sellsome investments and use themoney to purchase new ones thatare more suitable for your newgoals. For example, early in your

career, you might have benefitedfrom owning investments thatoffered high potential for growth,but as you near retirement, youmay need to shift some — butcertainly not all — of yourgrowth-oriented vehicles to in-come-producing ones.

If the investments themselveschange — You might havebought a stock because you likedthe company’s products, busi-ness plan or management team.If any of these factors changesignificantly, though, you mightneed to re-evaluate your owner-ship of this investment.

If you need to rebalance yourportfolio — You may have de-cided that your investment port-folio should be composed of spe-cific percentages of stocks, bondsand “cash” instruments. But due

to changes in the value of yourinvestments, these percentagescan shift somewhat, resulting ina portfolio that no longer reflectsyour goals and risk tolerance. Ifthat happens, you’ll need to re-balance your holdings, whichmay require you to sell some ofyour investments.

If an investment has chroni-cally underperformed — Some-times, an investment simplydoesn’t perform as well as youhad hoped. When this happens,you may be better off by sellingthe investment and using themoney to pursue new opportuni-ties. However, don’t rush to judg-ment. Before you sell anunderperforming investment, tryto determine why it hasn’t donewell. Is it because the market as awhole has slumped? If so, your

investment could rebound whenthe market does. Or are there sepa-rate factors, unique to this invest-ment, that have caused its prob-lems? If the investment’s funda-mentals and prospects still lookgood, you might want to simplygive it time to prove its worth.

By knowing when you shouldhold an investment, and whenyou shouldn’t, you can avoidcostly mistakes and help improveyour chances for long-term in-vestment success. So think care-fully before putting up the “ForSale” sign on your investments.

This article was written byEdward Jones for use by yourlocal Edward Jones FinancialAdvisor Vincent Renda, locatedat 47-01 Queens Blvd. Suite 203Sunnyside NY 11104. Phonehim at 718-361-1306.



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VerizonDear Editor,

Perhaps you are already aware that Verizon phone service has been out of order for over a weekand nobody seems to care-my service came back for a day and went out again. I haven’t seen a Verizonrepair truck anywhere in sight but we did spy a FIOS crew laying lines. Did they interrupt our phoneline? No answers from Verizon-they told us 65 lines are still down and claim it will take another week-this is unacceptable, as I’ve been a Verizon customer for decades and this is how they treat us? Noanswers.., just ‘sorry.’

I learned one thing from all of this, I CAN live without my landline and plan to save myself the monthlybill and rely on the cell phone.

Patti Dunbar,Sunnyside

Touching LivesDear Editor,

For many months, four times a week, I had to rise at 4am to arrive at a specified location by 4:30am.Walking along Windmuller Park alone was a bit stressful, but on occasion I had the companionship ofa cat. I did this through snowstorms, heat waves and ungodly darkness, always asking God for safe travelmercies for all of us out at this hour.

Imagine my surprise that first morning to pass a home with its backyard lit up and then facing a HUGEcross on top of a church lighting up the skies. My stress was greatly eased knowing God had answeredmy request.

Thank you 52-09 39th Avenue, thank you, the Korean Trinity Presbyterian Church, thank you God.I keep thinking – if each of us would touch just one life favorably as my life was, what a wonderful worldwe would have!

Jean Marie Maggio,Woodside

Top 5 Requested Books at TheQueens Library at Sunnyside,

February 2012

Letters To The EditorThe following letters are the opinions of its authorand not necessarily those of the Woodside Herald.

BIO Steve Jobs by Walter IsaacsonJuv FIC 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, book 2 by Jude WatsonJuv FIC War Horse by Michael MorpurgoYA FIC Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins13A The End of Illness by David B. Agus, MD

Submitted by Abigail Goldberg, Senior Librarian,The Queens Library at Sunnyside

IRS Free Filing

Letters To

The Editor

Be Heard! Please send your Letters to the Editor to P.O. Box 7097

Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 or simply email them [email protected]

Taxpayers Earning$57,000 or Less in 2011Can Prepare and E-File

Federal Tax Returnsthrough IRS Partnership

with Tax SoftwareIndustry

Congresswoman Carolyn B.Maloney (D-Manhattan,Queens) encouraged constitu-ents to take advantage of freetax preparation services avail-able through the IRS Free Fileprogram. Since its inception in2003, IRS Free File has offeredfree access to leading commer-cial tax preparation software to

the more than 70% of Americantaxpayers who qualify. Any tax-payer with a 2011 AdjustedGross Income of $57,000 or lessin 2011 can go to www.IRS.gov/freefile to prepare, complete ande-file his or her federal tax re-turn free of cost. The free accessto tax preparation software re-sults from a public-private part-nership between the IRS andthe Free File Alliance, an um-brella association of major taxsoftware companies.

“Taxpayers can easily pre-pare and e-file their federal re-turns at no cost by using the IRS

Free File program,” said Rep.Maloney. “This service is avail-able to every taxpayer whoseAdjusted Gross Income was$57,000 or less in 2011. To takeadvantage of the Free File pro-gram, simply go to IRS.gov andclick on the “Free File” icon. E-filing is also the fastest way toget a refund: those who qualifyfor tax refunds may receive themin as few as ten days after filingtheir returns.”

To learn about the Free Fileprogram and how to use it, tax-payers should go to the IRSwebsite at www.irs.gov/freefile.



St. Pat’s For All ParadeSunday, March 4th @ 1PMRegister your group to march in celebration of Irish heritage and culture.

2012 St. Pat’s for All Parade Information:www.stpatsforall.com,[email protected] (718)721-2780

Night Of ChanceThe Mary Louis Academy Parents Club will be holding its annual Night of Chance

on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 7 PM. in the school cafeteria (176-21 Wexford Terrace,Jamaica Estates, NY, 11432). This year’s theme is Casino Royale. The cost is $25 perperson, which includes food, drink and dessert. The event will feature live auctions,silent auctions and raffles. For more information, please phone (718) 297-2120.

Lucky LocalsJoseph Bertorelli, of Astoria won $10,000 in the January

31st drawing of Mega Millions. Bertorelli purchased thewinning ticket at the Blue Moon Food at 32-04 30th Ave in

Astoria.

Free GED ClassesSunnyside Community Services has announced there are still seats available for their

free GED Preparation Program starting in March. This intensive, 8-week program isdesigned for young adults between 19 to 24 years of age who can commit to attendingclasses Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Call Sunnyside CommunityServices at (718) 784-6173, ext. 445 or 458 for more information, or to register. SunnysideCommunity Services is located at 43-31 39th Street, Sunnyside NY.

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