VOL. 79, NO. 2 WOODSIDE, L.I.C., N.Y. FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013 FREE SERVING SUNNYSIDE-WOODSIDE AND LONG ISLAND CITY Construction Of Annex At PS 11 On January 4th, CM Van Bramer, Senator Gianaris, a rep- resentative from Assembly- woman Markey’s office, Lorraine Grillo, Pres./ CEO of the School Construction Authority (SCA), Principal Anna Efkarpides, com- munity members of Community Education Council 30, United Federation of Teachers members, local parents and children joined together in the announcement of the construction of a new annex at PS 11 in Woodside. Currently, PS 11 is at 120% capacity and uses several trailers in their schoolyard to provide children with additional seats. The Woodside annex will have the capacity to serve over ap- proximately 350 students in both Sunnyside and Woodside. SCA has already chosen an architect to design the prefabricated build- ing and the new annex is sched- uled to be open by 2016. “The addition of a new annex for PS 11 helps enhance the educational opportunities for the children of both Sunnyside and Woodside as we continue to aggressively address overcrowding within CEC 30,” said CM Van Bramer. “Our kids should never be forced to learn in trailers that are falling apart. They deserve the newest and the best school facilities and I’m proud to announce this will happen for the kids of PS 11. ” (continued on page 5) First Part of Sandy Disaster Relief Package Passes House Crowley Expresses Concern Over Process, Delays in Voting for Remaining Assistance for Sandy Victims Rep. Joe Crowley (D- Queens, the Bronx), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Cau- cus, voted in favor of H.R. 41, a bill to raise the borrowing au- thority of the National Flood In- surance Program by $9.7 billion, providing much-needed assis- tance to property owners affected by Hurricane Sandy. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which runs the National Flood Insurance program, had announced that without the ap- proval of additional borrowing authority, the program would run out of money to pay flood insur- ance claims by next week. By passing this funding, Congress can help ensure that the outstand- ing flood insurance claims, in- cluding 115,000 claims related to Hurricane Sandy, can be paid. “Homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy needed this money yesterday,” said Rep. Joe Crowley. “While I’m pleased the House acted today to ensure the National Flood Insurance pro- gram can continue to assist prop- erty owners affected by the storm, I remain concerned about the pro- cess and the delays that have plagued efforts to provide all of the critically needed relief assis- tance. When it comes to helping our fellow Americans after a natu- ral disaster, there is no time for games.” (continued on page 4) Holiday Concert Celebrates Law Firm’s 30 th Year See Page 4 Community Board 2 Monthly Meeting All Are Welcome! Wed., January 16th @ 7PM PS 1 MoMA, 22-25 Jackson Ave. (DOME), LIC
Construction Of Annex At PS 11On January 4th, CM Van
Bramer, Senator Gianaris, a rep-resentative from Assembly-woman Markey’s office, LorraineGrillo, Pres./ CEO of the SchoolConstruction Authority (SCA),Principal Anna Efkarpides, com-munity members of CommunityEducation Council 30, UnitedFederation of Teachers members,local parents and children joinedtogether in the announcement ofthe construction of a new annexat PS 11 in Woodside.
Currently, PS 11 is at 120%capacity and uses several trailersin their schoolyard to providechildren with additional seats.The Woodside annex will havethe capacity to serve over ap-proximately 350 students in bothSunnyside and Woodside. SCAhas already chosen an architectto design the prefabricated build-ing and the new annex is sched-uled to be open by 2016.
“The addition of a new annex for PS 11 helps enhance the educational opportunities for the children of both Sunnyside and Woodside as we continue to aggressively addressovercrowding within CEC 30,” said CM Van Bramer. “Our kids should never be forced to learn in trailers that are falling apart. They deserve the newest and the best schoolfacilities and I’m proud to announce this will happen for the kids of PS 11. ”
(continued on page 5)
First Part of Sandy Disaster ReliefPackage Passes House
Crowley ExpressesConcern Over Process,
Delays in Voting forRemaining Assistance
for Sandy VictimsRep. Joe Crowley (D-
Queens, the Bronx), Vice Chairof the House Democratic Cau-
cus, voted in favor of H.R. 41, abill to raise the borrowing au-thority of the National Flood In-surance Program by $9.7 billion,providing much-needed assis-tance to property owners affectedby Hurricane Sandy. The FederalEmergency Management Agency(FEMA), which runs the NationalFlood Insurance program, hadannounced that without the ap-proval of additional borrowingauthority, the program would runout of money to pay flood insur-ance claims by next week. Bypassing this funding, Congresscan help ensure that the outstand-ing flood insurance claims, in-
cluding 115,000 claims relatedto Hurricane Sandy, can be paid.
“Homeowners affected byHurricane Sandy needed thismoney yesterday,” said Rep. JoeCrowley. “While I’m pleased theHouse acted today to ensure theNational Flood Insurance pro-gram can continue to assist prop-erty owners affected by the storm,I remain concerned about the pro-cess and the delays that haveplagued efforts to provide all ofthe critically needed relief assis-tance. When it comes to helpingour fellow Americans after a natu-ral disaster, there is no time forgames.”
(continued on page 4)
Holiday ConcertCelebrates LawFirm’s 30th Year
See Page 4
Community Board 2Monthly Meeting
All Are Welcome!
Wed., January 16th @ 7PMPS 1 MoMA, 22-25 Jackson Ave. (DOME), LIC
We are pleased to be participating members with the following Dental Insurance Programs:• Empire Blue Cross/Shield • United Concordia • Horizon Health Care• Delta Dental USA • Dental Benefit Providers • Rayant• First Ameritas • Aetna • Qualident• MetLife Preferred • Guardian Dental • GHI-Pref Plus
43-34 43rd STREET, SUNNYSIDE, NY 11104
Call: (718) 786-3842
AVAILABLE:
Attorneys-At-LawMARC CRAWFORD LEAVITT
JOSEPH N. YAMANER*IRA R. GREENBERG
PAUL E. KERSON
JOHN F. DUANE
TALI SEHATI
THE BENJAMIN SHAW PROFESSIONAL BUILDING
45-29 47th Street - Woodside, New York 11377718-729-0986
MIDTOWN OFFICE: 228 E. 45TH STREET, 17 FL., NYC 10017
Serving the Community Since 1947*We speak Spanish, Hebrew & Turkish
43-11 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside, NY 11104Telephone (718) 729-3772
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sue Baldock, Kimberly Clarry, Peter A. Ross, Rob MacKay
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERSJoe Gurrado, Robert Flanagan, Sue Baldock
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 3
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Preventing Vandalism
Take a moment and look around yourcommunity… What do you see? Walls cov-ered with graffiti? Spray paint on stop signs?Broken public telephones? Unfortu-nately many of us have becomeaccustomed to seeing such thingsand don’t think of the realcosts behind vandalism.While we are making greatstrides at reducing crimeand maintaining historiclows, these incidents un-fortunately do happen andwe need your help!
Schools pay out mil-lions of dollars each year toclean up graffiti, repair build-ings, or replace vandalized equip-ment. That means less money for other pro-grams. The City (and YOU as a taxpayer) isforced to pay the bills for broken streetlights,stolen signs, and vandalized parks. Localbusinesses pass the costs of vandalism on tocustomers through higher prices, andhomeowners have to spend their hard earnedmoney to make unnecessary repairs.
A community’s first step in taking backits streets is getting rid of graffiti immedi-
ately, and working together we can winthis battle.
Things you can do to help preventvandalism:
- Be informed about thecosts of vandalism, and en-
sure your children andneighbors are also awareof all the direct and indi-rect costs
- Clean up vandalismas soon as it happens - ifit is on City property orrelates to a City owneditem (street lights, signsetc.) call 311 to report it
- Protect your house orapartment from vandalism by
using good lighting and locking gatesand garages
- If you see anyone committing vandal-ism, report it to the police immediately -remember, vandalism is a crime!
- Once the graffiti is gone, use landscapedesigns (such as prickly shrubs or closelyplanted hedges), building materials (such ashard-to-mark surfaces), lighting, or fencesto discourage future vandalism.
If you see something,say something.
108 Precinct, 5-47 50th Avenue,Long Island City, NY 11101
Friends and clients of thelaw firm founded in 1982 byMarc Crawford Leavitt and PaulE. Kerson were treated to anevening of wonderful music fol-lowed by a joyous Champagneand Latkes (potato pancakes- itwas held during Hanukkah) re-ception on Friday, December14th at the All Saints EpiscopalChurch in Sunnyside. Theworld class chamber musicians
included Sunnyside residentsSebu Sirinian and Lisa Tiptonon violin, Margret Hjaltestedon Viola, and formerSunnysider David Bakamjianon Cello. The program includedworks by J.S. Bach, GiacomoPucini, Antonin Dvorak, FranzJoseph Haydn, Astor Piazzollaand Henry Mancini.
The audience was welcomedby Paul E. Kerson who reflected
upon the special feeling of theWoodside law office engenderedby pictures of the late BenjaminShaw and commemorative equip-ment he actually used (like theRemington typewriter that is not anantique but a genuine word proces-sor which never has an electronicmalfunction or loses its memory).He introduced the other lawyers inthe firm: Joseph N. Yamaner, Ira R.Greenberg, John F. Duane and Tali
Sehati. Prayerful mention wasmade of the tragedy that took placethat morning in Newtown, preced-ing the often emotional and heart-felt chamber music.
A special performance of threesongs was presented by 15 mem-bers of the Jewish People’s Phil-harmonic Chorus directed byBinyumen Schaechter, including:“Ich Bin a Kleyner Dreydl” (I am alittle dreydl) in 4-part harmony!;
“We Live with Faith” by Mr.Schaechter; and California Dream-ing by the Mammas & the Pappas-all in Yiddish! Marc Leavitt’s bassvoice was clearly heard, and afterhe lit candles for the 7th night ofHanukkah his closing remarks in-cluded a warm thank you to FatherJoseph Jerome of All Saints forpresiding over a church that trulyrepresents the spirit of kindnessand warmth of the holidays.
On December 28, 2012, theU.S. Senate passed a $60.4 bil-lion Sandy Disaster Relief Pack-age in a bipartisan vote. OnJanuary 1, 2013, the House Re-publican Leadership announcedthe Senate bill would be di-vided into two parts: a $27 bil-lion Sandy Disaster Relief Pack-age, and an amendment thatwould add $33 billion to thebill. It was expected that the billand amendment would be con-sidered by the House on Janu-ary 1 or January 2. However,late on January 1, HouseSpeaker John Boehner (R-OH)unexpectedly cancelled voteson the package. The followingday, in response to widespreadcriticism of the cancellation ofthe vote, the House RepublicanLeadership announced that theHouse would consider the $9.7billion flood insurance portion
of the Senate-passed Sandy Di-saster Relief Package on Fri-day, January 4, and would con-sider the remaining $50 billionof the package on Tuesday,January 15.
“Our neighbors and fellowAmericans are suffering and theclock is ticking,” continuedCrowley. “Congress must pro-vide the assistance and reassur-ance necessary to help the re-gion rebuild and recover, andwe must provide it now.”
In 1968, Congress createdthe National Flood InsuranceProgram to help provide ameans for property owners tofinancially protect them-selves, since standard insur-ance does not cover flooding.The program offers flood in-surance to homeowners, rent-ers, and business owners inparticipating communities.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 5
Annex At PS 11(continued from front page)
PS 11 sits within CommunityEducation Council 30, which isone of the most overcrowdedschool districts in the City. Sincetaking office, Van Bramer hascontinued to work with the SCAmembers of Community Educa-tion Council 30 and 24, parentsand community leaders to ad-dress the overcrowding in schoolswithin the 26th District.
Currently, IS/HS 404 in Hunt-ers Point and PS/IS 312 locatedat Queens West in Long IslandCity are scheduled to open for the2013/2014 school semester thisfall. PS 313 which will be locatedin Sunnyside is scheduled to openin 2014 and a new school, whichwill be located on 39th Avenueand 57th Street will be opened in2015. The combination of theseschools will add over 2,000 seatsto the 26th Council District.
“Overcrowded classroomsjeopardize our children’s educa-tion and their health, which iswhy I’m pleased a new annex willsoon be built to help provide P.S.11 students with an environmentmore conducive to learning,” saidRep. Joe Crowley. “While this isa positive step forward, we mustcontinue our work to permanentlyeliminate the problem of over-crowded classrooms once and forall. I join Councilman Van Bramerin this fight, and I will continuemy work in Congress to ensureour education system is top-notch
and our students have the re-sources they need to succeed.”
PS 11 houses a significant num-ber of classrooms in transportableclassroom units (TCU’s) behindthe school. These TCU’s, sincethey were installed 15 years ago,have presented structural and main-tenance hazards to both the teach-ers and students.
“More classroom space for PS11 is excellent news for our stu-dents as too many of our schoolscontinue to experience overcrowd-ing,” Senator Gianaris said. “Fortoo long, PS 11 students have beenforced to learn in old, leaking trail-ers due to a lack of classroomseats, keeping them from an ideallearning environment. I look for-ward to celebrating the opening ofthe new classroom annex so ourchildren can learn in the warm,welcoming environment all stu-dents deserve.”
“The children of PS 11 inQueens have had to put up withclassroom overcrowding formuch too long,” said Assembly-man DenDekker. “The lack ofclassroom space directly affectstheir ability to learn, and to be-come well-educated and well-adjusted members of society.Finally, due to the efforts ofCouncilmember Van Bramer andothers, the school’s expansionhas been approved. You mightcall this a gold-star day for theschoolchildren of Queens.”
Take A Bite Out OfYour Family’s Food Bills
If it seems like your grocerystore bills are getting bigger,you’re not imagining it: foodprices are on the rise, and poisedto go higher.
Scarce rainfall plus lastsummer’s record-breaking heatwave resulted in scorched cropsin many of the nation’s grain-producing regions. The reducedfall harvest has created higherprices at the supermarket now,for products ranging from boxesof cereal to bottles of soda, andfrom bacon to beef.
The World Bank has evenwarned that high and vola-tile food prices may be the“new normal.”
Luckily, shoppers can takea few easy steps to help ease thebite on food budgets.
• Buy fewer processedfood products. That meansbuying fresh fruit instead ofprocessed packaged fruitsnacks, or peanuts in the shellrather than shelled, roastedand salted peanuts in a can.Less processing equalsgreater value, explains Kara
Newman, author of “The Se-cret Financial Life of Food:From Commodities Marketsto Supermarkets.”
“When you buy packagedfood, only 15 to 20 cents ofevery dollar goes toward theraw commodities used in thatproduct,” Newman says, cit-ing a USDA study that fo-cused on price inputs for atypical box of corn flakes. Inthat box, 15 percent to 20 per-cent of the price goes towardthe raw corn, she explains —the rest goes toward process-ing, transportation and fuel,advertising, and other ex-penses related to getting a boxon a retail shelf. “In the end,you pay more for the packag-ing than you do for the corn inyour corn flakes!”
• Try out “Meatless Mon-days.” Consider preparing veg-etarian meals at least once aweek. In 2012, the steepestfood price increases wereamong beef and veal, and poul-try products, according toUSDA figures — and those
products are expected to trendhigher still in 2013. By com-parison, fresh vegetables werethe only category that saw a
decline in prices last year.Can’t bear to go completely
veggie? Try subbing eggs,dairy and fish for beef and poul-
try — those products have hadslightly gentler price increases.
• Cut out the middleman.“One of the secrets nobodytells you is that you can opt outof buying ‘commodity prod-ucts’ if you want,” Newmannotes. “To do that, shop atgreenmarkets where you canbuy direct from farmers andother food producers.”
There are many differentfactors that influence foodprices and many ways the fi-nancial markets influenceprices in the supermarket,points out Newman, whosenew book, “The “Secret Fi-nancial Life of Food,” exploresthe mysteries behind culinarytrends, grocery pricing, andrestaurant dining.
Thankfully, there also aremany different ways you canhelp lower your family’sfood bills.
File No.: 2012-279/A CITATIONTHE PEOPLE OF THE STATEOF NEW YORK BY THE GRACEOF GOD, FREE ANDINDEPENDENT To: FrederickGallehr, Patricia Gallehr, RobertGerhardt, Michael Griffiths,Daniel Griffiths, Attorney Generalof the State of New York Theunknown distributees, legatees,devisees, heirs at law andassignees of Brian Griffiths,deceased, or their estates, if anythere be, whose names, places ofresidence and post office addressesare unknown to the petitioner andcannot with due diligence beascertained. Being the personsinterested as creditors, legatees,distributees or otherwise in theEstate of Brian Griffiths, deceased,who at the time of death was aresident of 135-18 78th Avenue,Flushing, NY 11367, in the Countyof Queens, State of New York.SEND GREETING: Upon thepeti t ion of LOIS M.ROSENBLATT, PublicAdministrator of Queens County,who maintains her office at 88-11Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica,Queens County, New York 11435,as Administrator of the Estate ofBrian Griffiths, deceased, you andeach of you are hereby cited toshow cause before the Surrogate
at the Surrogate’s Court of theCounty of Queens, to be held atthe Queens General Courthouse,6th Floor, 88-11 SutphinBoulevard, Jamaica, City and Stateof New York, on the 21st day ofFebruary, 2013 at 9:30 o’clock inthe forenoon, why the Account ofProceedings of the PublicAdministrator of Queens County,as Administrator of the Estate ofsaid deceased, a copy of which isattached, should not be judiciallysettled, and why the Surrogateshould not fix and allow areasonable amount ofcompensation to GERARD J.SWEENEY, ESQ., for legalservices rendered to petitionerherein in the amount of $8,175.06and that the Court fix the fair andreasonable additional fee for anyservices to be rendered byGERARD J. SWEENEY, ESQ.,hereafter in connection withproceedings on kinship, claimsetc., prior to entry of a final Decreeon this accounting in the amountof 6% of assets or income collectedafter the date of the withinaccounting; and why the Surrogateshould not fix and allow an amountequal to one percent on saidSchedules of the total assets onSchedules A, A1, and A2 plus anyadditional monies received
subsequent to the date of thisaccount, as the fair and reasonableamount payable to the Office ofthe Public Administrator for theexpenses of said office pursuantto S.C.P.A. §1106(4); and whyeach of you claiming to be adistributee of the decedent shouldnot establish proof of your kinship;and why the balance of said fundsshould not be paid to said allegeddistributees upon proof of kinship,or deposited with theCommissioner of Finance of theCity of New York should saidalleged distributees default herein,or fail to establish proof of kinship,Dated, Attested and Sealed 17 dayof December, 2012 HON. PETERJ. KELLY Surrogate, QueensCounty Margaret M. GribbonClerk of the Surrogate’s CourtGERARD J. SWEENEY, ESQ.(718) 459-9000, 95-25 QueensBoulevard, 11th Floor, Rego Park,New York 11374. This citation isserved upon you as required bylaw. You are not obliged to appearin person. If you fail to appear itwill be assumed that you do notobject to the relief requested unlessyou file formal legal, verifiedobjections. You have a right tohave an attorney-at-law appear foryou. Accounting Citation 12/28/12, 1/4/13, 1/11/13, 1/18/13
• LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE • LEGAL NOTICE •
Resolve To QuitSmoking In 2013
It’s at the top of many NewYear’s resolution lists — quit-ting smoking. In fact, 15 millionpeople try to quit smoking ciga-rettes yearly. Only 5 percent suc-ceed when they use no support orgo cold turkey. Moreover, theaverage smoker will attempt toquit up to nine times before suc-cessfully quitting.
Luckily there arenew tips and tools thatcan help smokers kickthe habit this year.
In an effort to em-power the more than45 million current U.S.smokers to call it quits,G l a x o S m i t h K l i n eConsumer Healthcarehas launchedQuit.com, a free, totalquit-smoking onlineresource with tools tohelp smokers quit theircigarette addictionsand stay smoke-free.
Every smoker is different;therefore every smoker’s ap-proach to quitting may need to bedifferent. Quit.com houses per-sonalized tools in a central loca-tion to help smokers navigate quit-ting smoking, no matter wherethey may be in their quit journey.
Here are some tips from theexperts at Quit.com to help smok-ers quit their nicotine addiction inthe New Year:
• Preparing to Quit: First pickyour quit date. By having a dayyou’re working toward, you’ll beable to prepare mentally andphysically to quit. Do your re-search on how to be prepared be-
fore getting started.• Ready to Quit: Support your
quit by reducing your body’sphysical cravings so they don’tget in the way of your willpower.Consider using a nicotine replace-ment product that fits yourlifestyle, such as a gum, lozengeor patch.
• Currently Quitting: Celebrate
every little win and stay focusedon the positive benefits of quit-ting and why you decided to quitin the first place. If you get astrong craving, change things upto throw your urge to smoke.
• Post-Quit: Surround your-self with inspiration to stay smoke-free — your family, your pet,your health and your finances —and remember you have every-thing to gain by quitting.
More tips on quitting smok-ing can be found atwww.Quit.com. The new websiteis built in four levels with specifictools depending on where smok-ers are in the quitting process —
preparing to quit, ready to quit,currently quitting or post-quit andlooking for resources to remain anonsmoker.
“Quitting smoking is toughand requires focus and effort,but that’s only half the equation.Part of the addiction is behav-ioral — a learned habit over time— but the other part is neurobi-
ology, a chemi-cal dependencyto nicotine,” ex-plains SaulS h i f f m a n ,Ph.D., an addic-tion and depen-dence expert, re-searcher in be-havior changeand relapse atthe University ofPittsburgh, andpaid-consultantto Glaxo SmithKline ConsumerHealthcare. “Us-
ing a combination of behavioralresources, education and quitsmoking medicines can improvechances of success!”
Quit.com also offers tools tohelp battle mental aspects of quit-ting smoking, such as identifyingand tracking triggers and makinga list of reasons you want to quit,along with resources to help fightthe physical addiction, such as aquit guide to find the right nico-tine replacement to provide relieffrom cravings.
The key to successfully kickingthe habit is to empower and encour-age smokers to try quitting and givethem tools to help them succeed.
Alcohol and SubstanceAbuse CounselorTraining Program
LaGuardia Community College is hosting an information session onJanuary 23 for those interested in becoming credentialed alcohol andsubstance abuse counselors (CASAC).
The one-year program, offered in two course modules (students canstart with Part A or Part B), fulfills the New York State Office ofAlcoholism and Substance Abuse Services addiction counselor certifi-cate requirement for 350 educational hours. Upon successful comple-tion, students are eligible to become a CASAC-trainee, allowing them towork in the field. This program is offered in partnership with CommunityPartnership Referrals and Resources.
Students in Part B (starting in February 2013) will study and applydifferent approaches to assessment, evaluation and case management.Focus is on relapse prevention, family systems, and vocational counsel-ing and their role in the addiction recovery process.
The training in Part A (offered in fall 2013) focuses on medical,physical and pharmacological aspects of addiction. Students will exam-ine the role the counselor plays in multi-disciplinary treatment, whichincludes family and community education and prevention as well as 12-step and other mutual aid groups.
The information session runs from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the college’sB-building (Room BA-01) at 30-20 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City.To RSVP email [email protected]. For more informa-tion call (718) 482-5125.
Blood Drive in conjunction with the New York BloodCenter on Sunday, January 13, 2013 from 9:00 AM -
3:00 PM in the Queen of Angels Church parishCenter (43-18 Skillman Avenue, Sunnyside, NY). For
more information or to schedule an appointment,please call Beth Sexton (718) 937-3244.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2012 THE WOODSIDE HERALD PAGE 7
DIVORCE WITH CARE
THE LAW OFFICE OF
Jocelyn Ciechanov4141 41st Street - Suite 3E
or at a location convenient to you
Call: 917 995 5228 for an appointment
FoodtownDear Editor,
I’ve never seen our community more upset at the closing of a storethan we are at Foodtown’s demise. Suzy Szabo was a great friend whoalways cheerfully bought Boys and Girls Club raffles from me.Patrick Hannigan was a friendly man who I often talked boxing with.Charisse, Maria Gomes and Sheila were always pleasant and helpful.We’ll miss them all!
Sincerely,Jim Dillon, LIC
Letter Writers are entitled to their own opinions, but not theirown facts. As with any letter, writers speak only for themselves
or their organizations: publication should not be taken as anendorsement of that view by Woodside Herald.
The following letters are the opinions of its authorand not necessarily those of the Woodside Herald.
Letters To The Editor
Campaign To Increase FundingFor Cultural Institutions
Campaign seeks to generatesupport for an increase in the city’sfinancial commitment to the 1,200+cultural organizations in the fiveNew York City boroughs
On January 8th, CM JimmyVan Bramer, Chair of the Cul-tural Affairs, Libraries and Inter-national Intergroup RelationsCommittee, announced his sup-port for the One Percent for Cul-ture Campaign at an event todayat MoMA PS1 in Long IslandCity, strengthening the growingcoalition to support New YorkCity’s cultural landscape.
The councilman’s support addsto the rapidly growing coalition ofcultural, business, civic leaders andartists throughout all five boroughswho recognize the vital role of thecity’s 1,200-plus non-profit cul-tural organizations.
“Through a coalition of hun-dreds of non-profit cultural orga-nizations and tens of thousands ofNew Yorkers we will continue tofight for essential funding we sodesperately need for the arts,” saidthe Council Member, “By increas-ing funding for culture and the arts
in all five boroughs we will sustainour New York City’s dominanceas the world’s premiere culturalcapital for future years to come.”
One Percent for Culture is anan unprecedented collaborationacross New York City’s culturaland business communities aimedat educating New Yorkers aboutthe value of non-profit culture toNew York City. The city has madegreat strides by increasing capitalsupport for cultural organizationsover the past decade, and this cam-paign seeks to ensure that the nextadministration understands the vi-tal role culture plays in our city.Only with future operating supportcan these investments in our cul-tural organizations provide long-term benefit to all New Yorkers.
The coalition, which has grownto 245 members, seeks to garner acommitment from the city to en-sure that non-profit cultural orga-nizations across all five boroughsreceive one percent of the munici-pal expense budget annually. Morethan 25,000 New Yorkers havealready signed the One Percent forCulture appeal in support of in-
vestment in cultural organizations.Non-profit culture is essential
to the economy and identity ofNew York City. Nearly 24 milliontourists are drawn to the city’sworld-class cultural offerings eachyear. Non-profit culture createsmore than 100,000 jobs and gener-ates $7.6 billion in economic ac-tivity. Despite the measurable valueof culture to the city’s fiscal health,non-profit cultural organizationscurrently receive less than one-fourth of one percent of the overallcity expense budget.
“Nonprofit culture is essentialto our city’s economy and the vi-brancy of our communities. In-creasing the city funding for non-profit culture will help ensure thatcultural organizations thrive in allneighborhoods and all five bor-oughs,” said Klaus Biesenbach,MoMA PS1 Director.
New York City is home tomore than 1,200 cultural organi-zations and thousands of artists.These organizations and individu-als create jobs, attract customersto merchants, and generate rev-enue for small businesses. Theystimulate the minds of the citi-zens and tourists and provide vi-tal supplemental education to mil-lions of New York City students.New York City’s cultural com-munity is a broad spectrum thatincludes performing arts centers,art galleries, dance troupes, or-chestras, non-profit theater com-panies, museums, community artsprograms, zoos, and more.
For more information aboutthe One Percent for Culture cam-paign or to join the coalition,please visit www.OneForCulture.org.
Council Member Van Bramer, Klaus Biesenbach (Director of MoMA PS1), Sheila Lewandowski (Exec Dir Chocolate Factory), Charles Rice-Gonzalez (Executive Director of Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance),and Eric Prior (Executive Director of the Center for Arts Education).
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ACROSS1. Alfred Hitchcock in his movie, e.g6. *Banned insecticide9. *Infamous weapon in PersianGulf War13. *”The Hitchhiker’s Guide tothe Galaxy” author14. Two halves15. Chummy16. Site of witchcraft trials17. Fred Flintstone to BarneyRubble, e.g.18. Stupid or silly19. *Code name for detonation offirst nuclear device21. *1945-1990 antagonism23. Batman and Robin, e.g.24. *Rock and ____25. Unit of absorbed radiation28. Manufactured30. Stubbornly unyielding35. Prima donna problems37. Clever39. Used to indicate complianceover radio40. It hovers41. Red Cross supply43. Like something that can’t fitanymore44. Stay clear46. *Ernest Hemingway’s nick-name47. Blue-green48. *Split by a wall50. Like Dr. Evil’s tiny self52. Hog heaven?53. Openmouthed astonishment55. Recipe amount57. *Salk’s discovery61. Sea dog65. “_____ Last Night,” movie66. *Shock and ___68. Wide open69. One who “_____ it like it is”70. 100 lbs.71. Attach to, as in a journalist72. Editor’s mark73. Lamb’s mother
74. Plural of lysisDOWN
1. Those in a play2. Purim’s month3. *French Sudan after 19604. Correct5. Heaviest known metal6. Showing stupidity7. *Its discovery had a huge impacton crime investigation8. *Ma Bell, e.g.9. Equivalent to hands on clock?10. Eagle’s talons, e.g.11. Long forearm bone12. Textile worker15. ______ talk20. A despicable person, pl.22. *Hemingway’s “The ___ Manand the Sea”24. Sometimes done to anargument25. Betty Ford Center, e.g.26. Type of nectar27. Sorrow29. Like a billionaire’s pockets31. Received on special occasions32. They can be Super or Krazy33. Enthusiastic approval34. *First cloned mammal36. Potting need38. South American Indian people42. Kind of ray45. 20 on a human body49. *A Bobbsey twin51. *Newly-founded state, 194854. *Gerald Holtom’s sign56. Unusually small individual57. Giant kettles58. Lend a hand59. *First African-American tohost a TV show60. *Branch Davidians or Heaven’sGate, e.g.61. “Out” usually follows it62. Captures63. D’Artagnan’s weapon of choice64. *Bolsheviks67. *A huge web
THEME: Twentieth Century
Everybody knows about the ethnic diversity inQueens. But this week’s list of local activities highlightsa less-heralded aspect of borough life: entertainment
by Rob MacKay
As the constant flow of stroll-ers on Skillman and Greenpointavenues demonstrates,Sunnyside is teeming withyoung parents with evenyounger children. Now theseparents and children (betweenages one and five) can park theirstrollers at the Sunnyside Re-formed Church, 48-03 Skillman
Ave., once a week and enjoyarts workshops together.
Community Art in Sunnysidewill hold its inaugural workshopon Wednesday, Jan. 16, 11 am tonoon. All supplies are includedin this one-hour activity, whichwill feature community projectswith read-a-louds, prizes, rewardsand giveaways. Regina A. Ber-nard, who has a Ph.D. in UrbanEducation, will lead these ses-
sions. An assistant professor atthe City University of New York,she runs various parent-childworkshops throughout the city.(She also informed that she prob-ably won’t turn away any child,regardless of his/her age.)
Workshops cost $10. Anybodywho attends 10 workshops can enjoythe following one for free. To regis-ter, please send Bernard an email [email protected].
**Answers For Twentieth Century In Next Weeks Issue**
diversity. Consider gay humor vs. potty humor; Bangladeshi folk music vs.traditional Puerto Rican rhythms; freestyle poetry vs. freeform art; recy-cling e-waste vs. lessons on electricity conservation; and making bananasplits vs. making jewelry. It’s in Queens, and here’s the rundown.
Jan. 10th, Queens of Queens @ 8pm
Ophira Eisenberg from Comedy Central’s Premium Blend headlinesthis LGBT laugh-fest. Also making the new year queer will be AdamSank (NBC’s Last Comic Standing), Danny Cohen (Comedy Central’sPremium Blend) and Cara Kilduff (Here-TV’s Hot Gay Comics, co-hostof Queens Public Television’s Talking About). $15 plus two-itemminimum. Laughing Devil Comedy Club, 47-38 Vernon Blvd., LIC,347-913-3845
Jan. 10th, through Jan. 26th Urintown
In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-yeardrought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. Citizensmust use public amenities regulated by a malevolent company thatprofits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs.However, a hero decides he’s had enough, and plans a revolution. $18(times vary). The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23 St., LIC, 718-392-0722
Jan. 12-15th, Hot Box (Times Vary)
Coated in intense emotional residue, this violent and chaotic liveperformance features a sequence of video images that are quiet, focusedand organized. The drama draws inspiration from pans, zooms, cuts andother camera tricks while attempting to find a sustained stillness. $15(times vary). Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49 Ave., LIC, 718-482-7069Jan. 13th, Double Life, Opening Reception 5pm – 7pm
This group exhibit examines the role of the contemporary artists asself-performers and our identification with, and attachment to, everydayobjects. The artists investigate themes such as identity construction,authorship and alienation amid current conditions that are multicultural,hyper-mediated and increasingly focused on self-presentation. On open-ing night, Bryan Zanisnik will perform inside his installation with hisparents, Bob and Carol Zanisnik. $5. Sculpture Center, 15. 44-19 PurvesSt., LIC, 718-361-1750The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Councilwith the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions.
