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Bearing Her Soul
Raisa
Ostapenko Raisa Ostapenko’s native
language isn’t English, but you would never know it from talking to her.
At 13-years-old, the eighth grade Russian immigrant is as well spoken as
many adults. And she doesn’t just speak
her native Russian and English. She speaks French, too. But the tri-lingual
Raisa can also communicate with her smile. Her interest in modeling
comes from her love of fashion. In her earliest memories, she was designing
her own clothing in a sketchbook. She sees modeling as an art, much like
acting or dancing. “My parents have always
showed me the life of the arts, music, acting and I just love doing this,”
she said, “I love having the capability of expressing myself in this
way.” Raisa recently attended a
modeling expo, at which she drew the attention of Disney and is being
considered for a Disney contract. That could mean anything from modeling to
acting to singing. Raisa said she expects to
wow more people next time she attends an expo. She learned from her past
experience, she said. “I saw that my competitors
were at such high levels. It just amazed me that people of young ages were
so wonderful.” She doesn’t see sitting in
front of the camera as a passive act. “Basically, when somebody
is taking a photograph of me, I try to place my soul into my work.
Everything I do, I place my concentration into it. When one is placing their
heart and soul into what they do, they actually feel it.” Raisa’s major career role
model is Julia Roberts, who she said embodies a combination of great looks
and acting talent. But Raisa’s real role
models are her parents. “I’d like to become like them. I believe that they’re extremely wise and intelligent people. They’ve led me on the correct path,” she concluded. Road
Rage
Parking in New York City can turn perfect strangers into mortal enemies. But one street-side parker in Fresh Meadows recently converted her parking rage into a love-filled solicitation.
A QConf reporter,
just back from an assignment and in a hurry to meet the afternoon’s
deadline, parked in haste and nearly touched the bumper of the Honda in
front of him. Soon after, a group of
advertising execs staring out the window of the office during a
mid-afternoon daydream spied a woman writing a note and placing it on the
windshield of the reporter’s car. “Do you mind not parking
on my ass – if you like me that much ask for my phone #!” the note read.
By the time the reporter hustled out into the street to read the note, the woman had sped off, never to be seen again. She left no phone number, no way of contacting her – just her handwriting, and a reporter with a broken heart at: Conf@Queenstribune.com. Shooting
Payback
A Jamaica doctor has filed a lawsuit against Queens rapper 50 Cent for treatment for gunshot wounds he suffered in 2000.
According to the lawsuit,
which was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan this week, the rapper
owes over $32,000 to Jamaica Hospital surgeon Nader Paksima, who
treated 50 Cent for “gunshot wounds” before he became the currently
biggest-selling rap star in the country. According to the lawsuit, 50
Cent — whose real name is Curtis Jackson — showed up at Jamaica Hospital
Medical Center on May 24, 2000 — in his days as a struggling rapper —
“with multiple gun shot wounds” and was treated by Paksima. The suit does not specify
how many times 50 Cent was shot, but according to the hip hop legend he was
shot nine times before he got his big break. In the past six months, 50 Cent has sold over four million copies of his debut album "Get Rich or Die Trying." Old
Things Are New Again
Someone should tell former City Councilman Tom White that he no longer holds public office.
The man who preceded the one
and only Allan Jennings as representative of Southeast Queens City
Council District 28 seems to be in denial that he was term limited out of
office in 2001 – at least according to his cell phone message. A quick call to his
voicemail makes it clear that White is either unaware of his new role as a
private citizen, or hasn’t gotten around to changing his voicemail over
the past two years. White’s voicemail begins
with a message in his voice saying, “This is City Councilman Tom White.”
The message continues with the usual voicemail commentary until the moment
when it’s time to leave a message. Then, an automated voice says, “If
you’d like to leave a message for . . . “ before an unidentified woman
says, “Councilman Tom White.” Then the automated voice continues its
instructions by telling callers to stay on the line. Twice in a minute-long
message, White is referred to as a City Councilman. Strange . . . or maybe not
so strange. The term limits tweak that
had prevented White from running against Council-oddball Allan Jennings has
been overturned in court, but the appeal process continues. So White may
actually have a shot at being "Councilman" again. In
that case, it’s a good thing he hasn’t changed his message. It sure
would be a lot of work for him to change it back. Touring
Totten?
For all those who click to Yahoo’s Get Local City Guides to plan their travel time in a new city or just an evening of fun close to home: check it out!
There’s a new destination
on the information hot line . . . Queens’ own Fort Totten. All the land isn’t
transferred to the City yet – the federal Fort is being turned over for
City parkland, a Fire Department training facility, a historic museum and
even a catering facility – but obviously the internet travels faster than
the paperwork and the several-years transfer process. While officials at the U.S.
Army expressed their frustration to QConf that
the City is taking their time with the forms, Yahoo! is up and running . . .
well, almost. If you check out the Fort
Totten link, you’ll find the cyber-plans are currently just one click
deep. Though the map on the opening page clearly shows the Queens Fort, tap
a “restaurant” or “attractions” link and you’ll be wisked away to
a Manhattan listing . . . coincidentally also the site of the stalled Parks
Department paperwork. But
never fear, Queens travelers, if Yahoo! has found our Fort, the City
bureaucracy can’t be that far behind . . . can they?
E-MAIL your items to: conf@queenstribune.com
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