S: Is for taking a stand

Once upon a time my gas was pumped for free. A real live person from America answered the company I was calling’s phone. Banks wooed you with gifts and treated you as a valued customer. There was a time as a customer you were always right and it was their privilege to help you. TIPS were not an entitlement but to insure proper service. Those days are long gone as we sit complacently silent. Companies have gotten away with rudeness, blatant disrespect of the law, and corruption because we have allowed it. I say, no more! Lets coin the phrase touted by Peter Finch in the film “Network” “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”. We all have scenario’s that push us over the edge that make that statement becomes an anthem. Here’s my top 3:

Dell: Need I say it again “Get those laptops off your lap”. This should not be me telling you this. Dell’s laptops are causing bodily injury. I was just informed besides erythema ab igne and skin cancer it causes pancreatic cancer. The later is hard to detect and even harder to cure. How many teenagers out there is this affecting? Dell has known about it since 2004. Known for having the worst customer service they raised the budget to $150 million (see wikipedia to confirm), yet it has not improved. Money down the drain or great PR, you decide. The funding would have been better put to use by keeping its customers healthy instead of hiding behind a pact a lies. I have a case number but no human has contacted me except the expert lawyer I contacted who agrees there is a problem here.

Cingular: I write about this company for my friend Tom. Tom’s razor was one of the worst phones I ever knew. He then found out it had been recalled. Now try to get a cingular sales person to admit cingular’s at fault. Not a happening thing. I think they hire the stupidest, most arrogant human beings they can possibly find. Maybe the job criteria is you must be a great actor and posses theses qualities, whatever the case this exists. At first the sales people told Tom the phone was not on recalled finally after six months he gets a new phone. They put his sim card in and he goes home. In this day and age we forget each other’s numbers, as they are conveniently stored in our phones, so you can imagine Toms reaction to find his entire phone book had been deleted. For six months his phone cut out and it is in essence a disaster. Cingular’s compensation….1/2 months charges waved. They have overcharged him on occasion and kept him on the phone for four hours to solve a problem that could have been done in a store in less than 20 min. There is no one to complain to because no one knows who owns cingular. Are they like Enron? Do they exist?

Chase Manhattan Bank: You work hard at your job for somebody. You wait patiently to be paid. The check finally arrives on the coldest day of the year. So instead of going to your bank to deposit the check, which is father away and takes a few days to clear even though there is another Chase branch across the street, you go to the bank where the check was issued. You have ample ID. You’ve cashed checks there before. The money is in the account. It’s a company check. Should be simple right…WRONG! Chase Manhattan has a policy that if you don’t have an account with us you can’t cash our checks. It seems the poor teller who I had gotten before was disobeying policy. She had done this for 9 months. Policy that may I state is written nowhere, I know because I asked several times. After the humiliation of being turn down I asked to speak to the manager who rudely told me if I wasn’t a Chase customer I could leave. She didn’t ask if I wanted to be a customer. She didn’t want to help. Dreading the cold I was persistent and she finally gave me the head office number. I called and spoke to Paul Haskins @ 212 270-9300 who was the assistant to the chairman or so he said. He reiterated what the branch manager said and when I asked where was this written he stated nowhere. Isn’t this against the law? If I’m not mistaken it is called monopoly and fraud. On my way down to my bank I stopped at every bank on the way to ask is this policy. The answer is NO only unwritten at Chase!

All of these companies are disregarding human decency. I write this column as solace to myself for being able to speak out. I write this column to encourage you to have a voice and stand up for your rights. I write this column to make a difference even if it is in just one person’s life for we never know what the one person will do when encouraged. Maybe someday once upon a time will be today and become a F.A.C.T.

T: Is for the right to choice

Fashion Week is in full throttle and Sunday thanks to pay for view I finally had the chance to see the quiescent scenario. The buzz on the book was sensational. Acting kudos for Meryl Streep for her performance in “The Devil Wears Prada”. I love this film! However the title makes no sense. In life we are faced with choices and roads to travel upon. It is up to us to make decisions that are sometimes painful and hurt others. Sometimes the decision has nothing to do with us but the negligence or inability of another to perform. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop now and do yourself a favor and see it. If you don’t your getting the cliff notes and this script will surprise you in its human psychology. If you’ve seen it read on. Andy (Anne Hathaway) moves to NY completely immersed in her old life yet wanting to grow. She gets a job at “the” top fashion magazine run by Miranda (Streep). Miranda, whose high standards shape a nation in fashion, expects no less from those who work for her. Miranda hires Andy when all her other assistance's prove unacceptable. Andy is raw clay and Miranda sees a masterpiece.

She is a fashion don’t so Nigel (an underrated Stanley Tucci) takes her under his wing and thus the Cinderella transformation takes place. Please tell me for those of us who come from other places arriving in this mecca of sophistication and chic, who wouldn’t kill for a Nigel? Me I have Stacy who by the way is who I saw this film with. Stacy is my hairdresser, my confidant, who makes me feel beautiful every time I see him. Imagine the best of the best designing you, molding you and believing in you. Andy’s friends see the change and the growth and fear makes them treat her badly. Due to a work emergency Andy has to miss her boyfriend’s birthday and they act as if it is an unpardonable sin. If your giving a year of your life to accomplish your goals shouldn’t those you love understand. So she missed dinner does that make her uncaring? Emily the anorexic co-worker treats Andy badly at 1st because she is insecure and then later because Andy out grows her. Emily makes mistake after mistake and Miranda notices. Andy’s diligence pays off in a trip to Paris, which Emily took for, granted. Andy is forced to deliver the blow. How many times in positions of power are we forced to fire or move ahead of someone lower than the expected choice? Does this make it wrong?


In Paris Miranda’s marriage desegregates. She loses husband #2 because he could not handle the fact she was more known. You learn at this moment the hardness of Miranda is a shield of choosing between career and love. She isn’t a devil but a person who made a difficult choice. We may have come a long way in certain things but the fragility of human placement is far from winning. True men no longer feel the need to club us and drag us off to their caves now its subtle. While also in Paris a coup is about to take place Miranda is going to be replaced with a younger model. Man or Job you become ruthless when you’re tossed over for another. Miranda is no different. There is always fallout when in a war. Sad but true and in this case Nigel. Andy sickened by life leaves. She goes to her boyfriend whom she has since broken up with and he tells her he is moving to Boston. He offers her the relationship back. She takes it. She makes a choice. I can guarantee if there were a sequel later on she’d regret her choice. Maybe for only a second but it would happen. Life is about choices. The trick is not to regret but to move forward. Neither Miranda nor Andy can be misconstrued as a devil both made the choices they felt were right. Thank-God we have that right! And that’s a F.A.C.T.

C: Is for keeping your clothes on and taking them off!

New York Couture splashes onto the scene in an array of vivid one of a kind
signature pieces. Short frilly skirts, lace dresses and crop tops melt like a deluxe crayon box left in the sun. 23-year-old designer Cassie is as unique as her designs. Imagine Betsy Johnson merging with Cyndi Laper and Cassie’s eclectic designs come to mind. Celebrities such as Tyra Banks, and singer Paulina Rubio have stood up and taken notice. Already these fashions are gracing the pages of Nylon Japan, Mahogany, Candy, Bust and fashion Journal. New York Couture is carried in over 20 high-end boutiques through out the US, Canada, Japan and Panama. In New York you can find New York Couture at Patricia Field and Apollo Braun. Join in the celebration February 8, 2007 @ New York’s hottest nightspot Grand located @ 41 E. 58th Street for New York Couture's official Fashion Show and party of the year. Doors open at 8pm with DJ Boris spinning tunes as anticipation for the spring 2007 line begins. Arriving like the awaited 11 o’clock number runway Fashion Week's most awaited show will heat up the runway. To be invited to this amazing event log onto www.newyorkcouture.net


Richard Warren whose fashion photography has graced the covers of Allure, Marie Claire, International Cosmo’s and Bazaar’s as well as a list of impressive designers, presented a lingerie fashion show in honor of his new website. Intimissi is reminiscent of his best-known work for Dollhouse. Fashion icons Nicole Miller, Berlie, Le Mystere, CLO and others strutted down the runway on skeletal models. Note to fashion coordinators you need bodies with shape when it comes to bras and panties. Bill Blass’s black diamond bra walked away with the show and I learned that lingerie if it has appeal for a male is a visual stimulant. Men want you in it not out of it.
I guess this is what is meant by the Mars vs. Venus miscommunication and that's a F.A.C.T.
To see more of Richard's work log onto:
www.richardwarrenphotos.com

A: Is for The Horsies and the Bears

The Super Bowl is the most-watched telecast of the year. Company's spend 2.5 million dollars for 30 seconds of air time and they don't even get exclusivity. Last night was no exception, 141.4 million viewers tuned in to the artistry known as football. I know there are some of you who would adamantly disagree that this is not an art and up until last night I wouldn't of believed it either. Hey I referred to the Bears and Colts as cute little animals and being a girl I picked the horsies. Then the game started and the uniforms of the bears and their athletic prowess made me change teams. So I started to root for the Bears. In the 1st 14 seconds I was right. History was made and the opening kick was a touchdown. Devon Hestor #23 was a hero. This game was already breaking records before it began. For the 1st time both coaches were African American. You've come a long way baby! As I was watching I realized that to be a football player you must not only be a gymnast, but a wrestler, a short distant runner, an expert thrower and as graceful as a ballet dancer.
The second pass was so beautifully caught in a hurkey jump that I was now captivated and thus began my dissent into sport as an Art.

I came to the Super Bowl party originally to watch David and my other male friends go ballistic. When watching the game these players grab each others asses a lot. They bounce into each other in a animalistic connection and the men who watch this shout and react in gleeful abandon. Women are constantly begging men to relate and to show emotion and here it was unpressed.
I now know why men love The 3 Stooges.

I also became intrigued when I heard that this was The 10th most-watched program on TV and commercials base a major portion of their budget to woo customers. I counted 57 companies and that's not including the items worn or displayed, the feature films, and all the CBS shows. I was told that these were the best of the best and I was looking forward to them. I found them mostly violent, crass and unappealing. The best were by Doritos, Bud (Here's my favorite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWYUJK828Dk), Coke, and Garmin whose work brought to mind the movies: Short Circuit, Godzilla and The Gods must be Crazy. The Sprint commercial I thought was a Cingular ad until they made it clear and then all I could think of was if I were the President of Cingular I'd be on the phone to my lawyer ASAP. Charities were represented by the Care Foundation and The United Way, again uninspired. I thought I was being critical till I read the New York Times and low and behold we think the same. Prince's concert was a technical marvel,while the whole artistic dance of the game took on a new dimension when played in torrential rain. Here's some interesting trivia: Those rings cost $5,000 a piece and they are given to approx. 150 team members and crew. The losing team gets jewelry which can be no more than ½ that price. Cod pieces are in now called cups. F.A.C.T.










David Lettermans top 10 "Reasons why the Bears Lost"
1. The Bears had to share the locker room with Prince

F: Is for Frederick's and mouth watering delights

Fredericks scrumptious melt in your mouth food has the Lesort brothers deserving another write-up. Nestled among the trendy boutiques at 768 Madison a feeling of spaciousness still abounds.
I sat in one of the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in. Adorning the walls are the worlds top visual photographs each one signed. Every detail is optimized for a truly wonderful dinning experience. I started with a signature dish of fresh Tuna Tartar in a spicy avocado and ginger glaze and roasted peach in a balsamic demi-glaze with melt in you mouth prosciutto and monchego cheese. A salad with fresh baby spinach, white beets and ricotta followed. The main course was a Herbed Ricotta Ravioli served in a browned butter sauce and Sauted Sea Scallops in a roasted cauliflower and raisin emulsion. Not only were they a vision but they invade and tantalize all 5 senses. The service though attentive was not intrusive with personal touches reaching even the simplest of items. Coffee comes with steamed milk and lumps of brown sugar artfully arranged. The head chef extraordinaire is Vincent Chirica whose model looks and integrity show in all the carefully designed plates that grace the 4 venues that the Lesort’s own. He is the creator of this sensual assault. A visionary with a mature and uncomplicated creativity he bases his dishes on the seasonal vegetables. If you want to deviate from the menu it is Vincent himself who will come to the table to make sure your wishes are carried out. Would you like have Vincent prepare a culinary delight for 2. E-Mail me and tell me your most romantic restaurant moment. You have till February 13th to win and that's a F.A.C.T.