S: Is for silent angels

There are people who make me glad that I am on the planet with them. Jorge Munoz is one of them. I read about him on CNN and needed to share his story. He makes a weekly paycheck of $700 as a bus driver, but he spends approximately $400 to 450 a week on gas and food. He feeds the hungry and has been since 2004. Every day, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry. At around 9:30 each night, Munoz's and his white pickup truck, deliver hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. Chicken and rice and for many, this is their only hot meal of the day; for some, it's the first food they've eaten since last night. Munoz and his family have been feeding those in need seven nights a week, 365 days a year. To date, he estimates he's served more than 70,000 meals. "I'll help anyone who needs to eat. Just line up," Munoz says. And at a time when food banks are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand, he's never been needed more. "When I see these guys on the street, it's like seeing me, 20-something years ago when I came to this country." Born in Colombia his father died in an accident when he was young. When his mother found it difficult to support Munoz and his sister, she made her way to New York, finding work in Brooklyn as a nanny. At her urging, Munoz followed in her footsteps, coming to the United States in the 1980s. "She said this was a better future for us." Munoz obtained legal residency in 1987 and became a citizen, along with his mother and sister. He never stood on a street corner to find work, but as an immigrant, he identifies with many of the men he feeds. Munoz began his unorthodox meal program when friends told him about large amounts of food being thrown away at their jobs. At first, he collected leftovers from local businesses and handed out brown bag lunches to underprivileged men three nights a week. Within a few months, Munoz and his mother were preparing 20 home-cooked meals daily. Numbers gradually increased, now it is over 140 meals a night. Munoz gets up around 5:00 a.m. to drive his bus route, and he calls home on his breaks to see how the cooking is going. When he gets home around 5:30 p.m. -- often stopping to pick up food donations -- he helps pack up meals before heading out to "his corner" in Jackson Heights. On Saturdays he takes the men breakfast, and on Sundays -- his "day off" -- he brings them ham-and-cheese sandwiches. It's a relentless schedule, but either Munoz or his sister does it every night of the year. "If I don't go, I'm going to feel bad," he says. "I know they're going to be waiting for me."

With economic stimulus plans helping everyone but who needs it. It is comforting to know that Jorge Munoz exists and that is a F.A.C.T.

T: Is for Transportation

Who owns the MTA? The state? The city? Who? I do know that the MTA owns some 14,000 buildings worth more than $1 billion. The 13-story Board of Transportation Building at 370 Jay St., on top of Brooklyn's Jay St.-Borough Hall subway station. Owned by the city but operated under a long-term lease to the MTA, 370 Jay St. has been nearly vacant for several years, even as respectable groups like the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership have sought to lease it. They lease at $1.6 billion 2 Broadway in lower Manhattan. There main headquarters are on Madison Ave. in midtown. Meanwhile, 370 Jay languished - a sorry tale of waste and profligacy. (The MTA now insists that it will eventually spend $150 million on renovations, reoccupying the building by 2016.)
The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership argues that if the MTA were to net-lease just eight of 370 Jay St.'s 13 floors to a private developer, it would save $100 million while helping revitalize the neighborhood. The MTA also squanders prime land in Manhattan. The lovely little former substation at 126 W. 53rd St., built to serve the E train that passes underneath, looks virtually empty, though an MTA spokesman says that it is fully used. One former official calls this a "classic case of legacy real estate. The agency owns it and has no incentive to sell it." Or what about the vacant lot west of the new rail control center on Ninth Ave. between 53rd and 54th Sts.? I know they use to own the Twin Towers and made a mint on 9/11 thanks to insurance. Just why are MTA headquarters located in the world's most expensive neighborhoods? Taxpayers are entitled to an accounting before they are asked to bear yet another set of fare and tax increases.

But more importantly is why our transportation a monopoly? Why not allow private jitney and bus operators to enter the transportation market to compete with the MTA. The MTA, is heavily subsidized by taxpayers, so why shouldn't we have a choice. Freedom of choice. Freedom from tyranny and that should be a F.A.C.T.

C: Is for clubs and the celebrities that hit them

Celebrities and clubs go together. Now that spring is approaching so is clubbing. Reality Stars Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian have been seen hitting up some of New York’s hottest clubs over the past week. Cheetah Girl, Adrienne Bailon was also seen out with them which makes sense since she is dating their brother,Rob. First stop the Pink Elephant where Ashley, Adrienne and Khloe had a mini photo shoot in the club. Then they met Kourtney at One Oak as their friend DJ Clue was spinning. The most popular still is Butter, located at 415 Lafayette Street, where Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan have all been seen. Also still hot is Bungalow 8, at 515 W 27th Street; the West Chelsea lounge where stars and supermodels love to drink; the Rose Bar at 2 Lexington Avenue, a luxurious lounge that’s picky about its clientèle; and Marquee Night Club at 289 10th Avenue, where you might catch Jessica Simpson or Mariah Carey.

Looking for what's hot after the club? Or simply just starving? Dine at the restaurants celebrities love. These days, the hot celeb eating spots include the Waverly Inn and Garden at 16 Bank Street, Koi at 40 West 40th Street, Socialista at 505 West Street (recently in the news because of a hepatitis A scare after Ashton Kutcher's birthday bash there), Pastis at 9 Ninth Avenue, and Spice Market at West 13th Street. See Broadway stars at restaurant row eateries like Joe Allen’s and Sardi’s, but know that they won’t show up until after 11 p.m.

It seems star gazing is in fashion and now you at least know where to go and that is a F.A.C.T.

A: Is for and the Tony will go to.............

On March 8th God of Carnage won the Olivier Award for best new comedy and it is easy to see why. This is the Virginia Woolf for this age. With sardonic wit and a dose of reality thrown like cold water, God of Carnage makes us look at marriage, at ourselves and at the childish behavior that never leaves but only hides it's ugly face. We think we are here to witness a civilized discussion between two couples, where one son has whacked the other son in the face, causing him to lose two teeth. As the evening progresses, the barriers drop, and a no holds barred, free for all ensues. The parents become so exposed and the all-star ensemble cast is so outstanding that at times you feel like you are watching a ping pong game with the skill and precision of tennis. James Gandolfini performance sneaks up on you like a toothache. You don't realize how nasty it is until you are in pain. Jeff Daniels plays obnoxious with glee. Marsha Gay Harden loses her battle with humanity as she becomes delightfully unhinged. Hope Davis shows how a facade can come crumbling down even as one is indisposed and all of them make you laugh as they fail miserably. In the 50's we thought of marriage through the eyes of Father Knows Best. The late 60's brought The Brady Bunch, by the 80's Married with Children and now no longer afraid to admit our failing God of Carnage shows us where we have landed. With 45.8% of marriages ending in divorce Yasmina Reza words become deliciously savage. I personally think that every engaged couple should be made to watch this. Director Matthew Warchus who also staged Ms Reza's masterpiece "Art" keeps this at a face paced clip. Designer Mark Thompson set makes you want to live in that house, as long as the residences have moved far away. God of Carnage is exactly what we need to shock us back to reality. This is the play to see and that is a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for Food that brings out the spy in all of us

Since I read about this next place, I have been dying to go. It just reeks of Get Smart blended in with country fairs. Don't think the two go together? Well, they do at PDT is the hot-dog club for grown-ups. Actually, it’s a cocktail-lounge down from Crif Dogs, an East Village joint known for its deep-fried dogs (get the country fair part?). To gain access you enter a vintage phone booth. Enter the camera-installed booth, pick up the phone and press a button. As you wait for bartender Jim Meehan (Gramercy Tavern) to check you out on his monitor and buzz you in. Can't you just hear the Get SMart theme music? PDT (short for Please Don’t Tell) is a speakeasy with a twist: classic cocktails, buttered-popcorn rum (yum), beer, wine and a special The highlight of the $22 “high roller menu” is the Staggerac, a potent Sazerac made with 140-proof bourbon and absinthe. Now there's the drink for me. And junk (comfort) food from Crif’s kitchen next door. Tater tots, waffle fries, four kinds of deep-fried dogs and special orders don't upset them. As your winning and dinning classic rock, old-school hip hop and Sinatra. This completely warrants a trip to 113 St. Marks Pl (between Ave A and 1st Ave; west basement) Note: PDT plans to go the way of reservation soon and that is a F.A.C.T.