A: Is for the end of Museum madness

To end the month and to incite every New Yorker to explore their own backyards, I'm highlighting 3 lesser known museums. The most well known is Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Located at 91st street and 5th Ave. Seeking out innovative work from the fields of architecture, furniture, film, graphics, new technologies, animation, science, medicine and fashion "Design Life Now" celebrates emerging ideas. The National Design Triennial is an ongoing exhibition inaugurated in 2000. While viewing these innovative creations until July 29 take a flight of creative fancy. Made to Scale: Staircase Masterpieces
is on view till June 3.

For over 30 years, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan has inspired children. Guided through 5 floors of art, literature, media, science and communications, children learn about the diversity of the world we live while learning about themselves. Settled in at the Tisch building located on the Upper West Side at 212 83rd Dr Seuss, The World of Pooh, Snoopy, Mister Rogers, Arthur, Curious George,Peter Rabbit and Max and the Wild things rain supreme. PlayWorks for ages birth – 4 lets you feed alphabet letters to a talking baby dragon, drive a New York City fire truck, paint on a six-foot art wall, make your way through a crawling challenge course, and connect an air tube puzzle. Encourage your child’s natural capacity to learn and see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Brain Games lasts until April 11 and is for 5 and up. Here you can test your creative problem-solving skills in this hands-on exhibition of more than 40 brain challenges! From Dora, to the city of New York this is truly a wonderful Easter present for you and your kids.

Has the city of New York ever just boggled your mind with its rich history. Where does one go to learn besides PBS? I got the surprise of my life when invited to an opening of Trade at the Museum of the City of NY. Furthest up on museum mile (1220 Fifth Avenue) I wander through the ports of New York and discovered their vital role in building the city. Timescapes: A 25-minute multimedia experience, tracing the roots of growth. Narrated by Stanley Tucci, the film features animated maps and archival photographs, prints, and paintings from the Museum’s collections. New York's richest gift to the world has been its gift of Theater. Highlighted until July 8th costume designer Alvin Colt has been clothing the casts of Broadway and off-Broadway productions with flash for more than 52 year. From his 1944 Broadway debut with On the Town to his ongoing work with the Forbidden Broadway revues, Colt has garnered costume credits on some 90 shows--more than any other costume designer--including Guys and Dolls (1950) and Pipe Dream (1956), for which he won a Tony Award. By far this has been one of my favorite places to visit. These have only been 6 museums in a list of over 50 that I hope you have enjoyed reading about. But don't live vicariously through this column take a day and discover one for yourself. I look out at the Hayden Planetarium and the Natural History Museum from my window and I have only discovered their delights once. There is so much in our world to explore. Lets make it a F.A.C.T. to open our eyes and do more.

F: Is for fusion of scotch and film

My idea of drinking is a great glass of red wine. So when Tom asked me to join him at a Johnnie Walker Scotch tasting I had my doubts. They were soon dismissed. This company cares about its product, its users and its intentions. What could of been an evening of hard core drinking turned into a spectacular multi-media extravaganza complete with a symphonic rock and roll beat.
Let me take you through the night. When you arrive you are given one drink ticket and are introduced to JWR or JWB in an assortment of ways. Not being a scotch drinker I tried the tropical JWR Margarita and was surprised that I liked it. While enjoying the drink there was an array of appetizers to allow for a full stomach in which to continue the night safely. Next the group was assembled into another room that was comfortably set up with white leather couches and 4 wide screens. In front of each guest was a place mat of the five colors of Johnnie Walker and 5 places for shot glasses, 3 filled. Placed next to the mat was a striding man pin, the symbol for Johnnie Walker. To complete the set up was a bowl of ice, and vases of coke, ginger ale and water. Starting the program was the ambassador a man we later find out resembles the original inventor. He is the perfect person to lead us through this journey of scotch. Witty, knowledgeable and a true lover of the product he makes every color seem like the perfect drink for every occasion. Starting with "Vibrant Red" the screen fills with images of stop signs, red cars, lava, sunsets and every imaginable red image. We are told about the hint of vanilla and spicy warmth and the combination of 35 single malt and grain whiskeys that make this label distinctive. Moving on to "Deep Black" the screen turns retro with city landscapes and Rolls dominating. Aged 12 years it is the original. Smokey with sherry, raisin, orange and citrus zest this label is meant to be served neat. Rainforest's, trees, flowers, grass growing all things "Nature" make up the "Green" label. The combination of 4 malt whiskeys aged 15 years offer an intense blend of forest, shore and fruit. Spicy with coco, ceder and smoked, it is finished with sweetness and oak. "Indulgent Gold" was brought in chilled by hostess eager to share their bounty. Creamy with honey, raisin and toffee this 18 year old scotch was like a Carmel richly blended into a drink. While enjoying visions of gold filled the 4 screens. Finishing off "Rare Blue" one of the rarest aged whiskeys in the world was served. This diamond of the collection came in a snifter. Smooth, mellow, with honey, toffee, smoke and sweet spice. On the screen the ocean with sails blowing in the wind while whales keep the pace assaulted my senses and I don't know if it was my love of the water or the drink but I found a whiskey I could enjoy. I recommend this visual journey that started in 1820. Not only is it informative but some of the best film making around. Everything should be tried once for you never what your missing and that is a F.A.C.T.

S:Are our cell phones safe?

The safety of cellphones has been called into question. According to research, long-term use of your cell phone can lead to a 40 per cent chance of developing nervous system tumors called gliomas near to where we hold our phones. Louis Slesin, the editor of Microwave News, a US newsletter on radiation and health reported "We now have two types of tumors found among people who use mobiles for more than 10 years shown by two different research groups. This is compelling evidence." It was found that users who spend more than an hour a day talking on a mobile phone have a close to one-third higher risk of developing rare forms of brain tumors. It has already been proven radiation from mobile phones alters the brain and affects memory. This can also lead to deafness in one ear. A comprehensive $12 million federal investigation of cellphone safety is currently under way but will take at least five years to complete. Health officials are warning parents to limit their children's exposure to cell phones for fear of the unknown. Manufactures are suggesting users invest in hands-free headsets to reduce radiation exposure to the brain. Yet they claim "The levels of radiation they used seem way too low to be producing the kinds of effects they're claiming." Ok, so this is scary right? But if your like me my cell phone freed up my life. No more waiting for calls that were important. No more getting lost or playing tag with my friends. No more losing jobs. So what is the solution? There are some. A company called Bio Pro Technology (www.bioprotechnology.com)has introduced the BIOPRO Cell ChipTM, the most advanced dual action technology designed to significantly address this issue. Selling for $34.95 his chip cuts the radiation level. I write about this because my friend Joshua introduced me to it and gave me one. Prior to this I was getting headaches and ear blockages. I felt like I was constantly on a plane. Since recieving this it has stopped. I also realized my memory has gotten better. Psychosomatic? I don't think so. There are currently more than 120 million American and over 500 million people world-wide currently using wireless phones, if this can stop the damage being caused isn't it worth it? Isn't it worth researching. Cell phone companies are one of the largest indutries world wide and instead of helping it's users they take adantage. I leave you with 5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO. They will surprize you but armed with this knowledge maybe we can take back our lives. These are F.A.C.T.S we should all know!
1:Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide is 112. Even if there is no coverage it will still work. Check it out.

2:Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button unlock.

3:Hidden Battery Power
Your cell battery is low, to activate, press *3370# your cell will restart with a 50% increase in battery.

4:How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your # so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

5:Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies charge between $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. If you need 411 simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell to make it even easier.

T: is for part two

For those of you who read this column everyday I am sorry this is late. I was working on CSI-NY yesterday and the shoot was long and cold and I became sick. The reason I bring this up was on the show I played a homeless person and not being one who likes carrying a lot of bags around I dressed the part. On the subway people were afraid of me and so I put into play the principle of the Celestine Prophecy by sending out of positive energy. Though people still didn't want to sit next to me they did try to donate cash without me asking for it. There were some people though who were more afraid of the energy and I could feel their reactions. Now just to let you know what I was wearing was layers of unmatched wholly sweats and a tattered jacket. Everything was clean. According to my door man I looked perfectly "adorable" but it goes to show we judge people on the way we look. I started writing about the Celestine Prophecy because I watched how the book changed people's attitudes and lives. I was at a friends and we were going to watch pay for view and I saw that a movie had been made of it and I was excited. Though I didn't watch it that night it was on my list of movies to see. When talking to my friend Ghada we discovered that one of the things we had in common was she too had been a fan of the book. So we made a date to see it. Tuesday night Ghada, Nick, Tom and I watched it.
Tom and Nick had never seen it so it was exciting to see how they'd react. Both found the movie intriguing enough that they now want to read the book. In writing about this I did some research because I wanted to know why I had never known it was made into a movie and what I found shocked me. Though the book is definitely better as this is a message that though easy is hard to absorb. You need to repeat sections. Visually this movie is beautiful and if you have read it there is a peace about seeing it this way. In reading the insights again I realized we are in a world of dichotomy. We want a better life but we don't want to assert ourselves into the changing of it. We like the status quo. It is easier.It is what we know. Change scares us even when it is for the best. I leave you with the rest of the insights that they may make a difference in your lives. Read the book. Watch the movie and see for yourself if this is not for you. If it scares you and you feel the urge to run you probably need this message so I suggest to you open your heart and read it again. What you might discover will surprise you. Only as a collective can we make a difference and changed our world for the better. May we each hold onto this vision and make it a F.A.C.T.

THE SIXTH INSIGHT . . . CLEARING THE PAST
The more we stay connected, the more we are acutely aware of those times when we lose connection, usually when we are under stress. In these times, we can see our own particular way of stealing energy from others. Once our manipulations are brought to personal awareness, our connection becomes more constant and we can discover our own growth path in life, and our spiritual mission--the personal way we can contribute to the world.

THE SEVENTH INSIGHT . . . ENGAGING THE FLOW
Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First we have a question; then dreams, daydreams, and intuitions lead us towards the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being.
THE EIGHTH INSIGHT . . . THE INTERPERSONAL ETHIC
We can increase the frequency of guiding coincidences by uplifting every person that comes into our lives. Care must be taken not to lose our inner connection in romantic relationships. Uplifting others is especially effective in groups where each member can feel energy of all the others. With children it is extremely important for their early security and growth. By seeing the beauty in every face, we lift others into their wisest self, and increase the chances of hearing a synchronistic message.

THE NINTH INSIGHT . . . THE EMERGING CULTURE
As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth. Such growth will move humans into higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the after-life dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.

THE TENTH INSIGHT . . . HOLDING THE VISION
The Tenth Insight is the realization that throughout history human beings have been unconsciously struggling to implement this lived spirituality on Earth. Each of us comes here on assignment, and as we pull this understanding into consciousness, we can remember a fuller birth vision of what we wanted to accomplish with our lives. Further we can remember a common world vision of how we will all work together to create a new spiritual culture. We know that our challenge is to hold this vision with intention and prayer everyday

C: Is for the Celestine Prophecy

In 1994 there was talk about a book that had just been released. It had changed lives and the entire theater community was reading it. I was so busy I didn’t have the chance. I had left NY and when I came back in the fall of 1995 my world had changed for the better. I use to hate auditioning because it was full of backstabbing and catty comments. Everybody was trying to psyche out his or her competition. However in 1995 it had stopped and everyone was now discussing the 9 insights and waiting for the 10th. The Celestine Prophecy had arrived. What makes this so unique is how this book became such a success. James Redfield believed the timing of his book was crucial and decided to self-publish. Just as he went to print, he met Salle Merrill. Now husband and wife, James and Salle filled the trunk of their car with copies of The Celestine Prophecy and drove to bookstores, meeting readers and talking about the book. The first 3,000 copies they gave away. "Word of mouth took care of everything." In six months, the book had over 100,000 copies in print, was in all 50 states, and was appearing in countries around the world. "It sold not because of any publicity but because those who read it gave it to their friends everywhere." The book was so in demand Warner Books bought the rights and published the hard cover edition in March 1994. It was the #1 best seller in America in 95 and 96. It also took the world by storm rating #2 on the international best sellers list and rising to #1 in 1996. This phenomenal novel spent over 3 years on the New York Times bestsellers list. 1996, an eagerly awaited sequel, The Tenth Insight: Holding The Vision, became an instant bestseller. The two books spent a combined 74 weeks on the New York Times list. As of May 2005, it had sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Set in Peru it is the journey of searching for oneself through spiritual insights. Redfield wrote part of the novel in the high-energy vortexes of Sedona, Arizona an area that he and many others regard as a sacred place. I knew when I started this article that this would have to be in two parts so I leave you with the 1st 5 insights and will continue tomorrow. May you read these with clarity and apply them to your life and together we can make it a F.A.C.T

THE FIRST INSIGHT . . . A CRITICAL MASS A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences.

THE SECOND INSIGHT . . . THE LONGER NOW This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort. While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life's coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet, and the real nature of our universe.

THE THIRD INSIGHT . . . A MATTER OF ENERGY We now experience that we live not in a material universe, but in a universe of dynamic energy. Everything extant is a field of sacred energy that we can sense and intuit. Moreover, we humans can project our energy by focusing our attention in the desired direction...where attention goes, energy flows...influencing other energy systems and increasing the pace of coincidences in our lives.

THE FOURTH INSIGHT . . . THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure. To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy. When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce, human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.

THE FIFTH INSIGHT . . . THE MESSAGE OF THE MYSTICS Insecurity and violence ends when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by mystics of all traditions. A sense of lightness--buoyancy--along with the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection. If these measures are present, the connection is real. If not, it is only pretended.

A: Is the Spanish invasion

El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth, and History brings together for the first time works by Spanish masters of the 16th-20th centuries. On display until March 28th you can engulf your senses in a culture so textured, where artists were encouraged and thrived. There are about 135 paintings nearly filling the museum. Organized by 15 distinct themes. This is a celebration of painting. Here the Goya's, Velasquez's, Zurbarán's, El Greco's, Ribera's, Dali's and Picasso's speak volumes, some so unexpected that you come back again to reflect. Cubism is a Spanish invention that evolved out of the work of visionary painters like Juan Sánchez Cotán and Antonio de Pereda. Then there are the still-life masters, and Zurbarán and El Greco, with their fixations on simple objects, abstracted flatness and space. The show starts with Zurbarán’s “Agnus Dei,” a sacral lamb, trussed and glowing in the darkness. A haunted vision as the cowled monks of “St. Hugh in the Refectory,” stand before a still life of bowls and bread. With Velázquez’s “Portrait of a Little Girl” and Picasso’s Velázquez’s Infanta Margarita María, from “Las Meninas” you can distinguish the gulf. One speaks to the deep fragility of childhood, the other creepy, with one red eye, painted in childlike scrawls. Velázquez’s freaks and Carreño’s fat children and Ribera’s martyrs are like scenes from a sideshow of life. Mysticism blurred with faith streams throughout this exhibit. Dalí’s fantasies and Goya's women raped and cannibals devouring their victims are like a nightmare of culture. Goya exhibits repressed sensuality and sex. “The Young Women,” a señorita in black with a panting lap dog, strutting her stuff under a parasol before a swarm of back-broken washerwomen, is clearly selling something. This is a culture long past chronicled by those prolific to capture its essence. There are 8 days left to admire and absorbed this fascinating exhibit.Coming next is the fiftieth anniversary of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum-designed by America's architect supreme Frank Lloyd Wright. Exploring the in depth restoration and documentation of the building. This would be a must for any architect and that’s a F.A.C.T.

F: Is for Japanese/ Italian fusion

Green tea ravioli with lobster, seared salmon with avocado and peperoncini, and yellowtail and tuna in asparagus and pesto were on the menu when I was sent an invitation to an opening of a Japanese/ Italian fusion restaurant, bar and lounge. Natsumi is nestled in the lobby of the Amsterdam Court located at 226 W 50th St between Broadway and Eighth Ave. Split in two due to a lobby that divides the space, the bar/lounge’s main feature is a waterfall that sits behind a triple duty bar (raw, sushi and liquor). Tastefully decorated in bright colors and low seating tables. The main dining area is just a step away and more traditional with room dividers creating intimate experiences. It was hard to experience what a typical night here would be because the opening was out of hand with hordes of people cramming the space to over capacity. I am not a fish eater and especially not raw so I invited my collaborator and business partner Tom to join me as his expertise always allows me to write a complete and thorough article. He was so disgusted by the quality of people invited and the lack of air space that after fighting his way to the bar and waiting over 20 min for a drink left with out trying anything. I arrived ½ hour before Tom and it was defiantly already overcrowded. The PR girl personally got me a Japanese Mohito, which was wonderful, and friends had seats so my experience was not as bad. The problem was I had only tried one dish, spinach noodles with a sesame sauce and that does not an article make. So when Tom wanted to leave I was ready but I met Daniel who talked me into staying and promised me food I could write about. After trying them, I was glad I stayed. Cubes of beef tenderloin surrounded in a shitake peppercorn sauce assaulted my senses and melted in my mouth. I also had chicken drizzled in a ginger red bean sauce that was delectable and I realized sauces are one of this chef’s specialties. Chef, Haru Konagaya is formerly of Haru and his food is inventive. My friends and those I talked to raved about the sushi saying it was fresh and the seaweed used was less salty than normal. This restaurant has a lot to overcome despite it's great fare. It's location seems to be cursed as several establishments have tried before and failed miserably. It is bookend by nude tourist traps where fruit juice sold at huge premium and it is extremely $$$$ for the area. I however wish them well and applaud their staff for putting up with the rude and overbearing 1st nighters and that is a F.A.C.T.