S: Is for Possibilities of Success

A quantum jump or leap comes from the field of physics and denotes an abrupt change in knowledge or information. When old ideas or ways of behavior no longer work, when the business methods we’ve followed are hopelessly inadequate, it becomes necessary for us to search for radically new ways. As humans we tend to stay within our comfort zones until we’re forced out of them. "But this is the way we’ve always done this," may have work for previous generations, but change has now caught up with us. We are poised at the threshold of change, amazing creativity, and a potential whose dimensions we cannot yet perceive. These times also offer us remarkable opportunities. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be kicked out of the nest. The reality, however, is most of us haven’t been taking flying lessons. I have faith we can use these unsettled times to grow stronger, become wiser, and be better friends with our environment and with one another. A leap of faith is not a comfortable thing to do. But, I have hope we still are a nation who can rise above our failures. We’ve made our share of mistakes, we stand at the crossroads of astounding potential, of a quantum leap into a better future. People centuries from now will either marvel at our ingenuity, creativity, and bravery; or shake their heads wondering why we were so timid and hesitant to move ahead. We have the capacity and ingenuity to design new methods of providing energy, healing, education, housing, nourishment, and water for all. I start with myself in asking what am I going to do to help make these possibilities come true? Will I complain about being old, needing financial security, or needing an artificial hip? I would hope the answer is .......no. If we start to focus on the positive and open our hearts to one another, not just the sky but the universe itself will be the limit and that is a F.A.C.T.

T: It's Time

The arts are what show who we are as a society. It shows where we are headed and where we have come from. So it comes as no surprise that in this new regiem that is about to take over that someone from the creative world would step up and speak out. Step forward music legend and producer QUINCY JONES who is urging President-elect Barack Obama to create a ministry of culture. One of the best ways to promote and preserve the cultural health of this country would be to give the arts Cabinet-level status. A petition has emerged and is making its way across cyberscape. It has attracted more than 10,000 signatures already, including the likes of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Marin Alsop and composer John Corigliano. It arrived in my e-mail box today. Quincy states the U.S. and Germany are the only countries who do not have a culture minister. Considering America's contribution to music, movies, television and theatre around the globe shouldn't now be the time to rectify that? Jones, has worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and Donna Summer, among others, says, "Every country on the planet is playing American music. And we don't have a ministry of culture."

There is change in the air right now, so make your voices be heard. Here is where you can sign http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html Keep the arts alive. They need your voice and that is a F.A.C.T.

C: Is for the closing of clubs

By the end of the month 20 Broadway shows will close. For the most part it is because rents have made ticket prices so high that shows have to charge prices that are too high in this economy. In less than a week a staple of the music scene will be shutting its doors for the same reason. New York City's premier showcase room, The Cutting Room, located on West 24th Street, is shutting its doors. Stars like Norah Jones, Neil Young, Donovan, Sting, Joan Osborne, Judy Collins, Peter Tork of The Monkees, Alanis Morrisette and Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Sheryl Crow, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kid Rock, Vanessa Carlton and many more have performed here. Alexa Ray Joel made her Manhattan singing debut in front of her proud parents -- Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley. Guests have included David Bowie, Ralph Fiennes, Ethan Hawke, Chris Rock, Kelsey Grammer, Steve Buscemi, Edie Falco, Russell Crowe and Toby McGuire. Co-owners Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order) and Berklee College of Music alumnus Steve Walter have created an intimate space for established performers and a hospitable environment for new music of all varieties. The club also hosted screenings, photo exhibits, performance art, literary readings, showcases and parties. The Cutting Room opened in late 1999, after a January 13 performance by comedian Joan Rivers the club will say good -by. "Our lease was up in September," Walter told the New York Post. "We tried negotiating with the landlord but couldn’t work something out." The good news is Walter is scouting locations in other neighborhoods, notably TriBeCa, and hopes to open a new Cutting Room by summer. "We don’t want to lose the momentum," he said. The intimate club is closing at this location because rent has reportedly tripled since they opened the club 10 years ago. "

Rivers plays the Cutting Room when trying out new material. She will perform sets on January 6-7 (two shows on the 7th). and two shows on January 13, followed by a closing night party. Tickets for all Rivers' shows are $30. Famed songwriter and performer Jimmy Webb also performs Saturday.

Many New York City clubs have closed with hopes of reopening but never have, including The Bottom Line, CBGB, Tramps, Wetlands Preserve and numerous others and that is a F.A.C.T.

A: Is for art with curb appeal

With a lack of new art and theatre premiering in public venues, one artist manages to capture one of the largest audiences around. Julian Beever's virtual gallery is the Internet, where untold numbers at this very moment are seeing - and marveling, and sharing - his three-dimensional pavement drawings. His medium ..... chalk. He is so sought after that cities commission him for the buzz he creates. What he does is called anamorphosis. First he draws his design in miniature. His world has people and things coming out of holes, exploding into life, crawling up walls and a mirad of other activities. The entire process takes three-and-a-half days. Then he draws on the ground, running back and forth to look through a camera, hundreds of times, just to gain perspective. To get the full three-dimensional effect, you have to see Beever's work through a lens. "I think because the camera limits what your brain can do," he said, "it limits the brain's ability to judge distance, it makes you only use one eye. And therefore you can make the brain believe stuff that otherwise it wouldn't believe." After art school, Beever supported himself by making two-dimensional chalk drawings on pavement for pennies from passers-by. He turned to three-dimensional art not by error but by trial, starting with a woman in a swimming pool. Her leg didn't come out quite right. He learned from that mistake and has been wowing people ever since. It doesn't worry Beever at all that this drawing will disappear after a couple of days in the rain, because the final product is the photograph. It's that photograph that goes on the Internet. It will be there forever and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for Fashion "Inspired" by Mariska

For the next couple of days I am at the Javit's Center, where new clothing lines, shoes and accessories make their debut. There is a lot to be seen. It starts to look all the same, so when lines are to die for, they simply pop out. The first to hit me was "Inspired" a new line of t-shirts from actress Mariska Hargitay of NBC's Law and Order:Special Victims Unit. These tee shirts invite you to wear them. Soft and cozy, they are embellished with applique and embroidery to empower the women who wear them.The phrases are simple but powerful. I believe women should walk proudly as they make their way to living, loving and helping others. These tees are just the thing to wear on that journey. They are all 100% cotton and Mariska donates a portion of all t-shirt sales to the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that works hand in hand with rape crisis centres and counselors in New York.

I've had the chance to work with Mariska, so I was excited to discover this line. Available in specialty stores in Canada, she is launching the line this Spring to the US. Mariska's tee shirts are perfectly in tune with who she is. She inspires women world wide who because of her start other organizations. I found this quote from a young blogger. "I am most inspired by Mariska Hargitay, one of the stars of Law and Order: SVU. It's not just a show for her because in her own life she runs a foundation to help women who have been raped, to help them move on and not feel alone and she's a phone counselor for them. I want to make a difference in the lives of others like that and I hope that one day I will be an inspiration to others."

To see more of this collection and learn more about the Joyful Heart Foundation log onto http://www.mariska.com.

Mariska, you rock and that is a F.A.C.T.