S: Is for Sea Levels Rising

There is a new program on by CNN's reporter Anderson Cooper, Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin & Dr. Sanjay Gupta called "Planet in Peril". Though I found it elementary if you have been following the progression of the earths peril, there are some who's eyes will be opened. Planet in Peril explores the Earth's environmental issues in a worldwide investigation. It starts with the ice melting from Greenland and other Arctic areas causing sea levels to rise. It makes the possibility of it flooding low-lying cities, such as Shanghai, China, and New York City, displacing millions of people in the process as highly probable. A recent report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, estimate the sea level rise by 2100 could be as much as 1½ feet. "That sea level rise is only based on melt from ice sheets, and does not include a new fast flow of ice we have detected in Greenland that is generating additional icebergs," said Dr. Konrad Steffen, a climate scientist with the University of Colorado, Boulder. Steffen estimates sea levels could rise three feet over the next century, a stark prediction that could wreak havoc around the world if it comes to pass. Greenland holds enough ice to cause sea levels to rise 23 feet if the entire ice sheet melted, a development few scientists expect to happen anytime soon. But global sea levels have been rising at the rate of three millimeters per year since 1993. For each of the past 17 years, Steffen has spent one month at a remote research site called Swiss Camp, located 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland. He monitors the changing ice sheet through a network of global positioning systems and weather stations, which have recorded a dramatic rise in temperatures since the mid-1990s."When we came here in 1990, the first two, three years were actually colder than normal. Then in it started to warm steadily and since then, we've had a temperature increase during the winter months of 4.5 degrees centigrade, 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit, which is very large, the largest temperature increase on earth". The majority of scientists say greenhouse gases are the chief cause of global warming. Dr. Jay Zwally, a climate scientist with NASA, said he thinks "The current warming trend in Greenland is very extensive and is not likely to be explained by natural variability alone," Last year, satellite data collected by NASA scientists revealed Greenland is losing 100 billion tons of ice each year, more than it is gaining from snowfall in the interior. Steffen and others have also detected a new, faster movement of the ice sheet, causing the glaciers to dump more ice into the ocean, where it melts and contributes to sea-level rise. Steffen hopes his prediction of a three-foot rise in global sea level by 2100 won't become a reality. It is a F.A.C.T. that we need to be aware of our planets peril and make a difference. They say we can't that it might be too late, but the best part of the program was the hope that was found in the furthest of regions where most of the country would consider primitive. They had hope and hope can change the world and that is a F.A.C.T.

T: Is for Thoughts

Last night as I was leaving the Halloween Party I co-sponsored, I met a guest who helped heal me. When I asked who he was he said "a nobody". I proceeded to ask with the same results until Tom said he'd tell me. It turned out it was Gary Null famed author, healer, nutritional guru and controversial advocate for human rights. At first I could only place where I had first met him. You see, I had met him before. Then he did what I can only justify as a gift or a transference of energy and I was blessed to be at my own party. Here was a man that I had forgot wrote "The Hidden Side of Psychiatry". I know this work because I fought for friends and children who have been abused by the system. I add an excerpt:

In 1990, a congressional committee issued a report estimating that Community Mental Health Centers diverted $100 million to improper uses. Patients were charged $700 a day while watching television and playing bingo, instead of receiving any care. While the financial waste is grim, the cost in human lives and misery is much more appalling. Insurance fraud seems to be the bread and butter of the mental health industry. Scams occur whenever a psychiatrist or a psychiatric institution bills Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance companies for work they didn't do, for unnecessary or bogus treatments, or for patients confined against their will. Here are is an example. "Michael quickly realized that A Place For US wasn't a place for him. Overweight and suffering from stress, the New Yorker had flown cross country to attend what was advertised as a weight loss clinic in southern California. The airfare was free and the treatment, he was told, was fully covered by his Blue Cross plan. But when Michael reached Los Angeles, he was shocked to see himself booked into a psychiatric hospital in a rundown section of town where he was diagnosed to be suffering from psychotic depression and bulimia, conditions he denies ever having. Then he was told he couldn't leave. Michael is one of many stories It's hard to believe that this is going on in America, but the reality is that, as a result of gross deception. People are frequently unaware of the fact that they are about to enter psychiatric institutions. If an unsuspecting party has coverage, the person is flown free to a facility, usually located in Florida or California. A limo awaits at the airport, and the place seems very accommodating until the person actually arrives at the facility and is locked up against his or her will. Once the person realizes what is going on, it's too late. People who become upset and attempt to leave can be threatened or diagnosed as combative.
Paul McDevitt, a licensed Massachusetts mental health counselor states "These people have no ethics at all. They're morally bankrupt."

Gary has also written books disclaiming the myth of AIDS, Our drug induced culture, The killing of American soldiers by war profiteers, and the drugging of America. All subjects that I have been writing about in this column and standing up against, this man has written books or has done documentaries on. Wow what a kick! Talbott this article is for you, now you know where to find help. It is a F.A.C.T. that what we need will be given to us and it is a remarkable F.A.C.T. that it came to me last night.

C: Is for Celebrations

Happy Halloween!
Being in New York Halloween is a week long celebration. The most famous celebration is of course the village parade. here's some others to tempt your spirit out to carouse.

Haunted house anyone? Blood Manor Haunted House is a 5,000 square feet of terror. This bloodcurdling labyrinth takes you through twenty themed rooms of horror including The Horridor (where 9 foot monsters welcome you), a dungeon complete with electric chair with "live" execution, the Cannibal's Kitchen, the Slithering Snake Pit, and the bloody new Heart Chamber Room. Blood Manor is meant to be intense and scary and is not recommended for kids under 14 years of age. Where: 542 West 27th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, 212-290-2825 Cost: $30 at the door (cash only).

For the Edger Allen Poe in all of us check out 52 Prince St at 6:00 p.m. (212) 274-1160 *Literary Halloween Party event with readings; refreshments – FREE *Silent projections from horror comic anthology Nightmare Factory (HarperCollins/Fox Atomic) and signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore.

A little theatre? Every year, the Theatre for the New City transforms their 30,000 square foot, multilevel space into a Halloween extravaganza for more than 1,400 masqueraders. Step inside this theatrical experience featuring sculpture, art, and live performances from more than 450 artists. This year's dance music will be provided by the Great Paprika Band, a Brazilian jazz pop orchestra, and Hot Lavender Swing Band, an all-Gay and Lesbian 18-piece orchestra. 155 First Avenue at East 10th Street and cost is $20


Halloween Club-Hopping
Celebrate Halloween at Manhattan's hottest clubs.

JoonBug Halloween Masquerade Ball at Capitale with Esquire Magazine, and celebrity guests. Bold-faced names like Usher, Jay Z, and Diddy have been known to turn up at the Capitale bash. Tickets for the 2007 party are $20 for general admission and $45 for VIP admission. Costumes are mandatory, so get a little creative for a change.

Webster Hall throws the official Village Halloween Parade after-party. Compete with the rest of New York's freaks for a $500 costume prize and dance the night away. Doors open at 8PM and the party goes all night. Admission starts at $35 per person and goes up to $225 for VIP table service.

I will be spending the night at a penthouse with my own bash. My group "Women of Substance" and our guests will party the night away on a wrap around terrace. Sometimes it's good to be a New Yorker and that is a F.A.C.T.

A:Is for the Art in your own backyard

We always think we have to go outside our own front door to find art. Sometimes and most often for me it has been right where I have lived. My Mom and sister were artists. My parent’s friends were artists. Some of my ex’s have been exceptional artists. Being a singer, actress, writer, producer makes me an artist. So I guess it should come as no surprise that I live in the generational home of artists. The last time I was looking for a place to live I didn’t know I was going to end up becoming part of a family and finding my roots. I had been in Provincetown doing “Batboy” and was coming home to NY. I was going to take over the apartment of my friend Raquela who played the Acid Queen in “Tommy” and “Julie” in "Showboat" on Broadway. She had just signed a recording contract and was off to places unknown and I was the grateful recipient of her rent-controlled apartment. She had left the key with a friend who had disappeared. I came back to be displaced. A friend asked me to sing for a benefit for Katrina and then asked me to help produce. I told him of course but I needed a place to stay so he offered his house as a temporary refuge. His place was an enormous apartment in the Chelsea Hotel that looked like a home. I though that is what I want. That night I went onto craigslist and answered an add. That is how I met Caroline Thomas, Robert Benes and their daughter Elissa. What started out as a family renting a room has become much more.

Robert is a painter and his paintings adorn the house. Their lush vibrant colors jump off the canvas and into your soul. They speak volumes while being mute. Robert started in High School. At San Francisco Collage he improved his craft and mastered the technique of three dimensional design. Under Sol Bernstein he developed a hand/eye coordination by not looking at the page. His ideas come from meditation, nature and people. It is his life experiences that breath life into these three dimensional slates. Having exhibited in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and of course NY it is in his home where almost everyone who sees them asks who did them and Robert modestly nods…. Me. Besides being a painter he is also an actor and along with his wife Caroline Thomas started Total Theatre Lab Productions.












Last Sunday they had their first reading of a play called “DemocracyInAction” which was well attended and will soon be showcased on Joe Franklin's TV
Show. "DemocracyInAction" is a play in which Caroline wrote. She is a actress, teacher, writer and director. Though if you ask Caroline she will only state writer. She is the descendant of Elissa Landi the actress who starred in the original productions of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Sign of the Cross”. She brought Laurence Oliver to prominence and was also a writer of some renown. To see more on Caroline, log onto www.totaltheatrelab.com and check back here to see when the next reading happens for this terrific new company. Art doesn't have to be in a gallery to be great, sometimes it is right where you wake up and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for Fall Fashion

Last Thursday was a big night. There were seven invitations and I made it to two. The first was for Big Drop's Evening of Frocks and Frivolity at 1321 Third Avenue. This was a chance to meet and mingle with Keryn Dizon, Designer of Elijah, and creator of the acclaimed new Line of "Ready-to-Wear". Sipping champagne guests leisurely explored the new line recently featured on the popular site DailyCandy. Dizon has been designing for over ten years. This line takes super soft Swiss mercerized cotton and transforms it into beautifully draped tops inspired by evening wear. A busy working mom, Dizon focuses on items that have "unfussy luxury." Translation: elegant clothes that are exceptionally easy to care for and comfortable to wear. My favorite was a gold beaded dress. Leave it to our friends Laura Rubin and Desta of LLR Consulting to represent and to bring this newest addition to out attention.

Next on my list was one of my favorite people as well as designers, the adorable Francois Girbaud. I wanted to introduce Jennifer to him and his one of a kind designs. His textured creations based on serrated cardboard are ingenious. Marithé and Francois are known for their evocative techniques and materials, continuing to build the bridge between architecture, design and fashion. The fifth installment of CONSTRUKT their experimental design series curated by Sebastien Agneesens was opening and luckily I was on the invite list. "Moment of Impact," features Belgian architect Jeroen de Schrijver who was commissioned to reflect upon the "Non Surgical Surgical Lift" technology patented by Marithé+Francois Girbaud and used in their fall/winter 2006/07 collection. The sculptures measure over 7-feet high by 10-feet wide, and are composed of 250 sheets of honeycomb cardboard. A series of small-scale objets d'art using the same layering technique incorporate thin strips of stainless steel, marble and cardboard. This layering effect directly refers to Girbaud's multi-layering process that allows clothing to be assembled in various ways. The CONSTRUKT series celebrates the long-standing tradition of fashion and fabric innovations of Marithé+Francois Girbaud. These limited-edition design objects are created by today's best product designers and offered for sale exclusively at their New York flagship store, 47 Wooster Street. Each installation pays tribute to a particular fashion innovation of Marithé+Francois Girbaud. "Creation should not be the sole prerogative of museums and galleries. It has become democratic and we wish to share it with all" states Gibaud. As I write this I am coveting his newest coat. Lightweight and so unique in what it does, you should run to his boutique located at 47 Wooster Street and that my friends is a F.A.C.T.