30 The Queens Courier • OCTOBER 10, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com His art . . . on a plate BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com Looking at the 16 photos hanging on the wall of what he calls one of his favorite restaurants “in the whole world,” Bradley Hawks can remember the story behind each shot. Celebrating the opening reception of his food photography exhibit on October 1 at Queens Comfort, located at 40-09 30th Avenue in Astoria, Hawks debuted 16 photographs of distinct plates from local restaurants he has visited throughout the years. The exhibit was part of the 2nd Annual Astoria Art Festival, which ran from September 27 to October 6. “I’m still wrapping my head around it,” said the BORO Magazine editorin chief. This is the first time his photographs have ever been displayed in frames and on a wall. The majority of his shots are displayed in BORO Magazine, LIC Courier and The Queens Courier with his weekly dining reviews and interviews. Yet after he was approached by Lizabeth Nieves, founder and organizer of the art festival, he was given the opportunity to see his shots like never before. “It’s exciting to see them as art for the first time,” he said. Hawks had to choose 16 of his favorite shots for the festival from a digital library of close to 30,000 photographs. Some of the Astoria restaurants include Astor Bake Shop, Tufino Pizzeria and The Queens Kickshaw. After moving to New York to be a teacher, Hawks took a break and was told by friends to launch a food blog because they always turned to him for restaurant recommendations. With no experience or education in photography, he began his blog three to four years ago with what he called “shaky” photos. He got the opportunity to watch and learn about lighting and angling from renowned photographer Richard Avedon. Since then, Hawks has been visiting local restaurants and capturing the story behind each plate. Hawks said he does not change anything about the plates because he wants his readers to see the same food they get when visiting the restaurants. “I really like these images to help tell my stories,” he said. “It’s like my diary and it tells of my experiences.” THE COURIER/Photos Courtesy Bradley Hawks Community TRASHES rail road plan BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com Residents and community leaders are trashing a company’s plan to increase garbage export from Long Island through their neighborhoods. One World Recycling, which processes garbage in Lindenhurst, Long Island that is hauled by New York and Atlantic Railway through tracks in Middle Village and Glendale, has applied to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to nearly triple its output from 370 tons of garbage per day to 1,100 tons. “We’re going to have garbage all day and all night, that’s how we see it,” said Mary Parisen, chair of Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions (CURES). “We’re not happy about it.” After One World applied, the community of Lindenhurst rejected the idea during a public hearing period that ended on August 16. But following procedure, the DEC has until 90 days after that date to review the application and make a decision. With just about a month remaining until the deadline, community leaders in Queens are worried the DEC will make the wrong choice. Leaders plan to meet with DEC officials to work towards a solution. “The potential expansion of the One World Recycling Center in Lindenhurst raises numerous concerns,” said Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi. “I have signed onto a letter with my colleagues to the Department of Environmental Conservation urging them to deny this expansion, and I am having conversations with the DEC about this specific proposal.” The trains wake up residents when they move through the night and some sit on tracks for hours with uncovered cars, which cause the stench of garbage to flow through the community, say locals. The trains, which are owned by the state and licensed to New York and Atlantic, are outdated and discharge pollutants, according to area leaders. Earlier this year Hevesi, along with various elected officials, was able to get the state government to allocate nearly $3 million to retrofit a new engine for one of 11 locomotives, which will reduce the impact of gases in the community. But the problem of garbage traveling through these communities has annoyed residents for years. It stems from the state increasing rail usage to cut down on truck transportation of garbage to relieve vehicle traffic and emissions. “Everyone wants to get the trucks off the road, but it’s taking a problem from one area, mitigating it, and putting it in another area,” said Glendale resident Thomas Murawski. “You’re maybe solving part of the problem, but you’re not solving the whole problem.” While they don’t want the One World expansion, CURES also wants the train cars covered to prevent the smell and hopes the state upgrades all the trains to new engines to cut down on pollutants. “It’s not a matter of them being our enemies,” Parisen said. “If rail is the way of the future we want them to be responsible.” Numerous emails and calls were made to One World Recycling but a company representative failed to reply. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre Glendale resident Mary Parisen, chair of CURES, is hoping to stop One World Recycling from outputting more garbage into her neighborhood through railroads.
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