NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- You know pop culture's come a long way when Ellen's coming-out party can be, primarily, a marketing event. But Wall Street still looks like it is far from seeing the earnings potential of gay people. Because on much of the Street, still, people can be openly gay only at risk to their careers.

This is not a pretty story.

In 1994, Mark Anderson, then 32, was hired as a trading assistant for Cantor Fitzgerald, though his background wasn't that of a typical trader. He'd played on the championship UCLA Volleyball Team for four years and majored in history, but never graduated. Since college, he'd been working as an interior decorator. Anderson was looking for a change when he got a call in his West Hollywood apartment from a childhood friend, now a Cantor trader. Anderson was urged to apply for a trading assistant job and after two interviews got the gig. The payoff was potentially huge; million-dollar-a-year traders are not uncommon at Cantor. "If you're not making $500,000 a year, you're fired," says Anderson. "I thought that if I could just make it through the training, I was in." But Anderson didn't take into account the hazing that he'd have to endure. On his second day of work, a lewd picture was posted on the office bulletin board. According to a lawsuit filed with the California Superior Court on March 4, 1996, the photo depicted "a man performing oral sex on another man in front of him while simultaneously being the subject of anal intercourse from another man behind him. [Anderson]'s photograph was superimposed on the man in the middle." Underneath the picture was scrawled a note explaining that Anderson would provide "good service to our bisexual clients." His picture, he says, had been purloined from his new Cantor Fitzgerald ID card. "I tried to rip it down and I was told that if I ripped it down, I was fired," says Anderson. "Those rules were understood there." About three weeks later, while chowing down on a BLT, Anderson sensed a foreign object in his sandwich. He peeled apart the slices of sourdough bread to discover "a pink rubber vagina with hairs on it," he says.

"I don't know if they were pubic hairs or armpit hairs on it, but I threw the whole thing on the ground."

Anderson says that the crowd around him -- including the partners, traders, senior sales staff and Senior Vice President William Rice, head of sales trainees -- all broke out into laughter, and one muttered, "This might be the only time this guy eats pussy." But Anderson stuck through it all. He says he suffered through a phony resume posted in the lunchroom citing his earlier work as "a fluff guy" for the porn producer of Diesel Dicks; the recommended tonsillectomy to make room for more "leading men"; his job as a "boy Friday" for a surfboard tycoon "polishing sticks."

Anderson says he even suffered through the job after a senior partner urinated on him through the cracks of a closed toilet stall.

"Actually, the worst of it was all the spitballs and snot balls they'd shoot at me all day," he says. "It got to a point where my shirt was soaking wet, but if I got up and complained, I'd be fired." Anderson thought his only hope for deliverance was passing his Series 7 brokerage test in the fall of 1994, so he could become a full-fledged member of the trading tribe. "I thought, 'I'll get through this B.S. from these assholes, and then I'll be making the money,'" he says. "I'll suffer for a year and then move on." But as he was preparing for his test, Anderson says that on slow trading days, Rice and other partners would stand in front of him and bet thousands that Anderson would fail. Nonetheless, in December 1994, he passed. But he says the hazing continued unabated. In May of the following year he got a reprieve when he was sent to New York for some training in over-the-counter trading (the Los Angeles office only dealt with listed trades). "The New York office had a different culture," says Anderson. "It was still sick, but not quite so depraved." Anderson was put up in a spacious suite in the Hotel Pennsylvania across from Madison Square Garden. But he found that partners at Cantor's One World Trade Center office on the 104th floor had plans for his hotel room. "In the office one day, a partner introduced me to three girls from Pitt," says Anderson. "He said they were bisexual and they would be staying with me." Anderson says that various partners wined and dined the girls for the next week, taking them to New York hot spots like Tavern on the Green and having sex with them in his hotel room. During this stay, Anderson says he got a call from Rice's assistant. "She said she needed my car keys because they were repainting the garage in our office building," says Anderson. Further, he says, he was asked to stay in New York for an extra week and to meet the office at the big, biennial sales meeting of Cantor Fitzgerald in Dallas.

What followed was truly amazing, even by Cantor standards, and it was all captured on videotape.

As graphically described in an article in Los Angeles magazine, the homemade video shows Rice and senior partner Shawn Blakeslee wearing paper bags over their heads with crudely drawn cartoon faces of a black man with curly hair. "We be doin' dis and shit!" Rice says, mugging for the camera in the Cantor Fitzgerald garage. In the next shot, Rice and Blakeslee are seen driving out of garage in Anderson's silver 1978 Alfa Romeo. The next scene also takes place in the Cantor garage, where senior partner Bill Malcolm is wearing the paper "blackface" and trader Jonathan Blum is in a paper bag styled as the caricature of an Asian face. Then they pan to Anderson's car, which has received a factory paint job -- except that the car is now black and white, like a police cruiser. On the body of the car are bold antigay statements like "Poo Stabber," "Rump Ranger," "Fudge Packed Here" and "1-800 Butt Boy." As the video fades to black, Rice is seen mocking the Hispanic garage attendant who was charged with guarding Anderson's car. At the Dallas sales meeting, with virtually the entire worldwide sales staff and senior management in attendance, Los Angeles says "the tape was introduced as a new training video for desperate young brokers who could obtain business by soliciting the homosexual community of Los Angeles." As the entire room broke out in laughter, Anderson in his assigned seat was blown away.

"They made hundreds of copies of that tape," he says. "And passed them out to everyone, other traders, clients. You know how Wall Street is, everyone's seen this thing."

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'Coming Out' on Wall Street

Once a developers white-box condominium, this former carriage house was transformed by Boston Interior Designers Wilson Kelsey Design into an award-winning, French inspired Villa with European panache.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 15, 2012

One would imagine that a carriage house of this era would hold, at least to some degree, historic and beautiful architectural details. However, this was not the case. All of the homes architectural features - moldings, millwork, cabinetry, fireplace, etc. were designed by Wilson Kelsey Design. When the homeowners described their inclination towards French design, I referenced pictures of Versailles and used their inspiration to design scaled-back solutions that would mesh with modern living, says interior design partner John Kelsey. And because most New England stock millwork profiles are Colonial, Kelsey had to find resources who would fabricate European details.

Features within the transformed home include an authentically styled French Country kitchen with exposed brick walls, shutters, and custom cabinetry and millwork reminiscent of antique furnishings and cupboards. The client wanted the feeling of a large European country kitchen with many amenities so that the family would want to cook and spend time there. A custom built-in sofa was designed to face the new gas fireplace, and encourage lingering at the table. The owner instructed the designers to hide all the technology.Two antique chandeliers, one from Newport, RI and the other from Charleston, SC, contribute to the old world feeling that the client wanted.

The living area is a stunning French-style salon furnished with a collection of new upholstery and antiques, a newly designed but centuries old-looking cast stone fireplace, French style paneling, intricate plaster crown moldings, and an ornamental ceiling. A collection of 18th and 19th Century antiques were acquired to add warmth and character. Antique lighting, antique architectural prints, paintings, and a wall-sized antique tapestry adorn the spaces. They are quite happy here, notes Sally, They love the rich paneling and detailed moldings, complemented with Directoire and Regency furniture, gilded mirrors, Italian crystal and metal chandeliers, tapestries, and defining millwork. Here, finally, they feel at home. As a reminder of the home's ancestry, Wilson Kelsey discovered the original blueprint for the carriage house/stable, and had it digitally re-mastered and framed for display in the new kitchen dining area. It shows a carriage room, cow stalls, horse stalls, hay area, carriage washing bay, auto washing bay, harness room, and grooms room.

The renovation of this home has garnered Wilson Kelsey Design over ten regional and national design awards including The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America New Englands 2011 award for Best Residential Interior Design and Interior Renovation. The Bulfinch Award recognizes individuals and firms who preserve and advance New Englands classical design tradition. The project appeared on the cover of New England Home magazine and is featured in the 2012 Spring issue of North Shore Magazine. Celebrated for creating elegant, yet genuinely livable homes, Sally Wilson, ASID and John Kelsey continue to garner acclamations for their design talents.

About Wilson Kelsey Design

Wilson Kelsey Design is an award-winning, Boston-based interior design firm comprised of the husband/wife team of Sally Wilson, ASID and John Kelsey. They are unique in that they bridge the gap between architect and decorator and share a strong technical background. The former producer of This Old House magazine referred to their work as heavy-duty interior design. In organizing their firm, they have divided the labor between them into the hard and the soft. John designs and details the hard interior architectural detailing, cabinet design, lighting, interior construction drawings, construction field supervision, and consultant coordination. Sally initiates and implements project concepts inclusive of interior design, furniture, decorative lighting, antiques, fabrics, and color and finish selections. Their joint skill set was imperative for this condo renovation.

WILSON KELSEY DESIGN

Phone: 978-741-4234

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Boston Interior Design Firm Wilson Kelsey Design Celebrated for Award Winning Old World-styled Villa Created from a ...

STERLING A down economy means vintage items are in, Dixon interior decorator Karla Cannon-Boyungs said Sunday afternoon.

The small-business owner was one of 25 businesses showcasing their wares at Sterlings Northland Mall over the weekend during the Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show.

I wanted to create awareness about the services I have, Boyungs said. Theres not a lot of interior designers in the area.

She took over what is now Karlas Custom Interiors 6 years ago. Besides decorating, she also sells products such as fabrics and window treatments.

Although the housing market hasnt rebounded, there has been a trend in people upgrading the homes they already own, putting a new roof on or installing new cabinets.

The other trend right now is vintage items, Boyungs said. Its common in times of recession, when people dont have as much money to spend on stuff, they take old pieces and they redo that.

Ryan Wille of Morrison sees people responding in a different way: investing in patio furniture.

If you have a patio that your friends and your family enjoy coming to, instead of going out for dinner or seeing a movie, it really pays for itself in the long run, he said.

Wille is the lawn care division manager at Sisson Lawn and Landscape.

Regardless, Wille said, the good weather has gotten people ready to move back outdoors.

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Dixon decorator says vintage items in

Joseph is a successful investment adviser who occasionally works from his home office. His wife, Nicole, also works on her own household projects in the same space. The two of them were tripping over each other in a main-floor study that was crammed with files, papers and general chaos.

Joseph, whose clients sometimes visit him in the home office, wanted a strong, masculine room, but Nicole envisioned more of a lighter, feminine feel. My challenge was to design an office that would allow both of them to get down to business.

First, I took stock of the space.

With a high ceiling, lots of light from five tall windows and a beautiful hardwood floor, I could immediately see that this room had a lot of potential. But the popcorn ceiling had to go easier said than done, because it had been painted with an oil paint, making it impossible to scrape off. The only solution was to cover it with fresh drywall, which was an unexpected blow to our project budget. But it was certainly worth the time, effort and money.

After we added some gorgeous moldings, recessed pot lighting and fresh white paint, you'd never know that a dated old popcorn ceiling lurked beneath that polished new exterior.

We topped off Joseph's old desk with a new white quartz work surface, and placed it in the center of the room, facing the doorway. To accommodate storage needs, I designed custom-built-in cabinetry to run down one entire wall, with another file cabinet positioned behind Joseph's desk.

In addition to holding the printer, books and other occasional pieces, the full wall of cabinetry also incorporates a long, built-in work surface for Nicole. Here, she has room to spread out family photos, household accounts and various other projects. A custom-designed pin board runs the length of her work space, and the cabinets surrounding her desk provide ample storage space. An elegant and feminine white chair adds that extra touch to make this space all her own.

To invoke a masculine influence, I introduced leather pieces. We kept Joseph's original desk chair and leather blotter, plus my plan called for a tufted leather sofa. At least, that's what it was originally supposed to be. But, because of the extra work on the ceiling, we had to make budget cuts elsewhere and the leather got the chop. Instead, we sourced out a polyvinyl fabric that, I must admit, I was totally prepared to dislike. But, when the sofa arrived, I was shocked. It looked good! I have never ordered a vinyl couch in my more-than-20-year career. But this sofa certainly proves that you can never say never

Since Joseph's desk is the focal point of this room, we positioned a new chandelier directly above it, to provide lighting for his work surface, but also to add a touch of understated elegance. Two black chairs for clients are placed prominently in front of the desk. We mounted a TV on the wall for presentations (and the odd hockey game) and behind Joseph's desk antique mirrored doors conceal a pin board.

One of the most unusual touches in this room is the black-and-white bookshelf wallpaper. It actually looks like library shelves, and it immediately adds a touch of knowledge and authenticity to the office.

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Home office that means business

STERLING A down economy means vintage items are in, Dixon interior decorator Karla Cannon-Boyungs said Sunday afternoon.

The small-business owner was one of 25 businesses showcasing their wares at Sterlings Northland Mall over the weekend during the Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show.

I wanted to create awareness about the services I have, Boyungs said. Theres not a lot of interior designers in the area.

She took over what is now Karlas Custom Interiors 6 years ago. Besides decorating, she also sells products such as fabrics and window treatments.

Although the housing market hasnt rebounded, there has been a trend in people upgrading the homes they already own, putting a new roof on or installing new cabinets.

The other trend right now is vintage items, Boyungs said. Its common in times of recession, when people dont have as much money to spend on stuff, they take old pieces and they redo that.

Ryan Wille of Morrison sees people responding in a different way: investing in patio furniture.

If you have a patio that your friends and your family enjoy coming to, instead of going out for dinner or seeing a movie, it really pays for itself in the long run, he said.

Wille is the lawn care division manager at Sisson Lawn and Landscape.

Regardless, Wille said, the good weather has gotten people ready to move back outdoors.

See the article here:
Dixon decorator says vintage items in for Sauk Valley Home and Garden Show

Introducing House Proud in Belmont. Interior Decorator Sue Morris, known as "The Design Coach," specializes in working with budget-minded clients. Morris, who has lived in Belmont with her family for 16 years, is a former textbook editor who returned to school in 2002, taking courses over a few years toward a Certificate in Decorative Arts.

The Design Coach was born during those years, as friends and friends-of-friends started asking Morris for help with their decorating dilemmas. She works in an informal but organized way as a consultant for clients who are looking for anything from a few paint colors to whole-house updates.

Visit wickedlocal.com/Belmont/blogs/houseproudinbelmont to learn more.

How did you get interested in decorating?

I think my interest in decorating started when I was very young and would create houses for my Barbies out of cardboard boxes! I spent a lot of time decorating those houses. Much later, when my husband and I bought out first house, I found that I really loved the decorating process. I truly enjoyed going to the paint store or the fabric store to pick out colors or fabrics. To me, drawing a floor plan is a good time. As I talked to other people, I realized that not everyone enjoyed the process... in fact, many of them found it painful.

What do you love most about decorating?

I love seeing how something as simple (and inexpensive) as a gallon of paint or a new light fixture can really transform a room. Since I have a home office, I spend a lot of time in my house, and I know how important it is to feel comfortable in your own home, and part of that is knowing that your home looks the way you want it to. That doesn't necessarily mean it looks like a home in a decorating magazine, but your home should reflect your taste and what feels comfortable to you. I love helping people realize that goal.

Was there a project you worked on that you are most proud of?

If so, what was it and why are you proud of it? My favorite project to date was actually my own home -- our summer cottage in RI. We practically rebuilt the whole house two years ago so I had to choose finishes -- from paint colors to light fixtures, tile, counters, and so on -- from a distance and often very quickly. I chose about 30 light fixtures over the course of one weekend. It was nerve wracking at times, and as with all construction projects, it went on much longer than we anticpated, but it was also very gratifying. Decorating a beach house is so fun because you tend to use a more whimsical approach and often choose materials and fixtures that you might not consider using in a full-time house. Our house ended up being featured in Builder and Architect magazine a year ago.

Why did you want to have a community blog?

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Introducing Wicked Local Belmont's newest community blogger

In the mood to give your home a new season update without having to re-mortgage? Sydney's leading interior gurus share their hot tips on how to inject some order and give your abode an overhaul easily and on the cheap.

SIBELLA COURT, Interior Stylist and author http://www.thesocietyinc.com.au

Freshen up:

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A lick of paint on the walls or on a much-loved piece of furniture instantly gives new life. People always see painting as a big job, but an old paint shirt and ten minutes is all you need - washing, sanding and priming is not in my vocab. It's fun searching for the new season colour and, as they say, change is as a good as a holiday.

Out with the old:

If decorating isn't satisfying your desires, restyling your home - or even just a room - might be the dramatic change you need. It's not about renovating the bricks and mortar but changing the furniture arrangement, art placement and colour palette. Let go of the old and don't be restricted by what's 'normal' - think about interesting vistas, create a 3-D space and have a sense of humour.

SHAYNNA BLAZE, Interior designerwww.shaynnablaze.com

Hang those pictures:

Creating a gallery wall is the perfect way to add interest and have everything in one place but it's easy to make it look cluttered. Choose a theme of some description to ensure it looks stylish and keeps the focus on the pictures. Going for frames in the same colour but choosing different shapes gives uniformity - or if you prefer a mixture of different shades and finishes go for frames that are all the same shape.

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Home makeovers on the cheap

Posted at 6:02 pm March 08, 2012

Tags: Entrepreneurship, Handicrafts

By Nikka Garriga

MAKATI CITY, METRO MANILA Within a year of being an interior decorator, Madonna Liza Cruz thought about doing handcrafted accessories out of her fascination for pieces made of beads.

I was really into beadwork until eventually, I realized it didnt give that much room for me to create more unique designs, Donna says.

She then started researching about other materials, which led her to discover polymer clay, a kneadable material that hardens its form when exposed to high heat.

It was through this that Donna also stumbled upon workshops on making crafts out of polymer clay offered by Angeli Sobrepea, who is famously referred to as the The Beadlady.

With P5,000 as start-up capital plus everything she learned after attending a beginners course, Donna came up with Crazy Notions accessories combining beads, clay and other materials.

Her designs would vary from mini-cupcakes to flowers and other cutesy stuff as she herself describes her creations.

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Pinoy art inspires this entrepreneur’s handmade accessories

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Created with the exterior roller shade market in mind, Phifer's new SunTex 90 Design brings decorator touches to outdoor living spaces.

SunTex 90 Design combines a rich, design-oriented look with the same weave and performance characteristics of traditional SunTex 90 fabric. Made of strong vinyl-coated polyester, this high performance fabric provides protection from the sun's heat and glare while also offering exceptional visibility and airflow. Stylish and practically priced, this new fabric broadens Phifer's line of outdoor shade fabrics.

All SunTex fabrics are now infused with Microban antimicrobial product protection. Microban protection works 24/7 for an added level of defense against microbes such as mold and mildew that can damage your shades. Added during the manufacturing process, Microban protection works continuously for the lifetime of the shade to inhibit the growth of stain-causing bacteria, mold and mildew.

SunTex 90 Design is also GREENGUARD certified for superior indoor air quality performance as well as certified as meeting the more stringent GREENGUARD Children & Schools standards for commercial use. The GREENGUARD Certification Program is an internationally-recognized product emissions certification and labeling program for manufacturers of low-emitting indoor materials.

SunTex 90 Design is ideal for use on windows, doors and porches in exterior roller shade applications. These fabrics are available in seven neutral patterns and come in 72- and 96-inch widths.

For more information on SunTex 90 Design fabrics, call 205-345-2120 or e-mail inquiries through the Web site at http://www.phifer.com.

A master weaver with 60 years of experience and a forward-thinking mentality, Phifer is the world leader in the production of interior and exterior sun control fabrics, cutting-edge, specialty screen products for windows and doors, stock/custom engineered mesh and textile products and high performance outdoor designer fabrics.

Machining Centers. Lathes. Automatics. Hobbers. Grinders. Visit IMTS 2012! Whatever manufacturing equipment can make your processes more effective, efficient and competitive, youll find at IMTS 2012. From machines nearly as big as a house, to the finest measuring instruments, youll see them all at IMTS. Be There!

Be There!

Remcom provides electromagnetic simulation and wireless propagation software and services. Our products are used for antenna design, photonics and optics, MRI, microwave circuits, RFID, military and defense applications, and more.

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Phifer's New SunTex 90 Design Brings Style to Outdoor Shades

Wealth and style ... inside Leslie Walford's Double Bay house.

Leslie Walford, 1927-2012

For 50 years Leslie Walford lit up the interiors of Sydney, and from the 1960s to the early 1980s he shone a light on the life of the city's beau monde in the pages of The Sun-Herald.

His death marks another end of an era in the history of old Sydney. Today, many might be bemused by a life that celebrated the wealthy and well-born and enhanced their exalted environments, but there was more to Walford than that.

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''Go and decorate Sydney'' ... Leslie Walford, a highly civilised, cultivated, liberal humanitarian, at his 85th birthday party. He had a particular genius for lighting and his favourite watermelon pink became a trademark.

Leslie Nicholl Walford was the only son of Leslie Walford and his wife, Dora Nicholl (nee Alexander), and a fifth generation Australian, the first Walford having been transported to Norfolk Island for stealing a bolt of fabric. On release, Walford's great-great-grandfather acquired land in Tasmania and prospered. By his grandfather's time, the Walfords were gentlemen.

Leslie snr, a cricketer, ladies man and chairman of the Australian Jockey Club, died before his son was two. He had wanted to call him Napoleon.

As an adult, Leslie jnr had in his office a huge copy, by a Chinese artist, of Jacques Louis David's portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Alps. He told the Herald's Susan Wyndham: ''He is looking down at me and saying, 'Leslie, go and decorate Sydney'."

Walford in 1987.

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Fortune shone on decorator