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“Love Lives On” 19th Annual Steve Chase Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center

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“Love Lives On” 19th Annual Steve Chase Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center
Story and photos by Pat Krause
Story and photos by Pat Krause

“Love Lives On” was this years theme for the 19th Annual Steve Chase Awards Gala at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 9th. The event was sold out with over 1800 guests attending. Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs is the recipient of all monies raised thru ticket sales, silent auctions and donations. Integrated Wealth Management was the Presenting Sponsor again this year.

Co-chairs Barbara Keller and Jim Casey welcomed the guests for coming again this year. They gave guests a moment of surprise when they announced they were stepping down as Co-chairs. Everyone gave a sigh of relief when they said they would continue for 2 more years.The event has raised almost 5 million dollars in the last 5 years. They were hoping to break a new record which they succeeded to do with over 1.5 million raised at this year’s gala.

The opening performance was “Dream On” by Live It Up Performers with Azhia and Joey Newkirk. The next singer was Matthew Morrison from Glee followed by the award winning singer, Melissa Etheridge. A return visit by Queen Latifa was next followed by So You Think You Can Dance Dancers and Megan Hilty and Stephanie Block. Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family was the Guest Host. Scott Nevins was the auctioneer for the Live Auction.

In between all the entertainment the Awards were presented to deserving individuals. Philanthopist Annette Bloch was awarded the 100 Women Award. Partners in Activism was given to Jake Glaser and Arts and Activision award was given to Mario Lopez. Singer Lorna Luft received the Community Service Award and the Partners for Life Award went to Julian deCiurcio.

RoboBank presented a LOVE LOUNGE after party with a DJ and costumed Dancers. Free Drinks, Appetizers and Cotton Candy were passed around. Lighted hats, feather boas and lighted glasses were given out to a few lucky guests. The feel-good feeling from the nights entertainment was brought into the dance area as guests were enjoying a really good time.

Desert AIDs Project provides health care and support to those people and their families living with HIV/AIDS in the Coachella Valley. DAP offers assistance with food, housing, counseling, case management and social services. They also have many locations that offer free confidential HIV testing.

Childhelp held its third Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational

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Childhelp held its third Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational
Story and photos by Pat Krause
Story and photos by Pat Krause

Childhelp held its third Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational at Westin Mission Hills Resort Spa and Golf courses on Feb. 8th thru 10th. The event was hosted by John O’Hurley and Cheryl Ladd for the 3rd time. Golf was played on the Pete Dye and Gary Player courses on Sat. and Sun. Tim Pade was the Golf Tournament Director.

There were 90 golfers playing and each team had a celebrity player. Around 30 well known celebrities took part in the charitable event benefitting Childhelp. Celebrities included were Actors William Devane, Patrick Warburton, Cheech Marin, Gary Valentine,Ron Perlman, Bruce McGill, and Ron Masack to name a few. Sports legend Johnny Bench, Singer Alice Cooper and Dancing with the Stars favorite Makxim Chmerkovskiy plus others with the list to long to mention them all.

There was a Pairings party on Friday night with a mexican flavor. Grammy winner LeAnn Rimes entertained the 300 guests at the black tie gala. She sang many of her own songs that she wrote. She thrilled the crowd with her voice. A thunderous applause occurred when she exited the stage. Clapping and yelling Encore brought her back to sing one more song. She sang it with such emotion that the audience felt her emotion as well. A final standing ovation was given to her for a great concert.

Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson started Childhelp in 1959 because they saw a need to help abused and neglected children that was not being met. They feel it is so important to get a child to feel happy and loved. One Childhelp Village is in CA called the Merv Griffin Village. A Local Childhelpchapter is in Indian Wells with Sharrell Blakeley as President.

They held a large silent auction. John O’Hurley turned auctioneer for the Live Auction. A favorite Live Auction Item was being a guest of the O’Hurley’s and getting to see the Dancing With the Stars Show thanks to Maksim Chmerkovskiy. All items went for large sums and all proceeds will go to the Childhelp Organization.

Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden left in poverty with no pension, healthcare or protection

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Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden left in poverty with no pension, healthcare or protection
Navy SEAL platoon (AFP Photo / US Navy / Robert Fluegel / Handout)
Navy SEAL platoon (AFP Photo / US Navy / Robert Fluegel / Handout)

The US Navy SEAL who personally shot to death former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden says he has been neglected by the US government. The poverty-stricken ex-commando is now struggling to feed his family and pay for healthcare.

Despite killing America’s most wanted man, the US Navy SEAL referred to only as “the Shooter” has transitioned back to a civilian life plagued by poverty. The Shooter, who remains anonymous, retired from the SEALs in September 2012, thirty-six months before the 20-year requirement for retirement benefits.

And the government makes no exceptions when it comes to retirement benefits – not even for one of the Americans responsible for striking the most crushing blow against al-Qaeda.

“What is [hard] to understand is that a man with hundreds of successful war missions, one of the most decorated combat veterans of our age, who capped his career by terminating bin Laden, has no landing pad in civilian life,” writes Phil Bronstein, Executive Chair of the Center for Investigative Reporting, for Esquire.

Aside from remaining anonymous and therefore lacking recognition from the American public, the US government appears to have forgotten the Shooter’s significance in the raid that killed the most wanted terrorist. Without a pension, healthcare, or any sort of government protection, the Shooter has been left in the dark by the agency he dedicated his life to.

Unsympathetically, he was told to look for a job driving a truck to make enough money to scrape by.

“[SEAL command] told me they could get me a job driving a beer truck in Milwaukee,” the Shooter said. Such a job would be a substantial downgrade from both his status and estimated $54,000 salary as a Navy SEAL.

Left without retirement benefits, the Shooter is now purchasing a private health insurance plan for $486 per month, which provides minimal coverage and fails to cover his chiropractic care.

“My health care for me and my family stopped,” he said. “I asked if there was some transition from my Tricare to Blue Cross Blue Shield. They said no. You’re out of service, your coverage is over. Thanks for your sixteen years. Go f*ck yourself.”

The US government provides 18- days of transitional healthcare benefits, but only those who agree to remain on active duty or become a “reservist”. And it will take at least eight months before he can make requests for disability payments. Although the US government put a $25 million bounty on bin Laden, no one has ever collected the money and the Shooter now lives in poverty.

 Read the whole story…

Blacks and Whites both accuse Disneyland of racism

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Blacks and Whites both accuse Disneyland of racism
(AFP Photo / Hector Mata)
(AFP Photo / Hector Mata)

Mickey and his pals have some explaining to do. After going public last week with a discrimination lawsuit he’s waging against Disneyland, a California attorney says he’s hearing all sorts of allegations about employees of the amusement park.

Since announcing earlier this month that he’d be representing a case that’s accusing Disney staffers of racism, attorney Dan Gilleon has had his phone ringing off the hook.

“I’ve gotten many emails and voicemails that I’m looking into. What this tells me is this isn’t an isolated incident,” Gilleon tells San Diego’s ABC 10 News.

Gilleon made it to the papers earlier this month when he announced that he’d be representing the family of Jason Black Jr., a 6-year-old African-American boy who says he was discriminated against by a Disneyland employee dressed as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. The Blacks were at the Orange County amusement park in August when Jason Jr. allegedly was refused a hug by an actor hired to play the rabbit.

“The rabbit was turning his back on me. Then I went up to try to hold his hand, but he kept on flicking my hand off,” Jason’s brother, Elijan, told KTLA News.

“There were two other kids that camp up, and the rabbit showered them…hugged them, kissed them, posed with them and took pictures,” the boys’ father recalls. “Meanwhile, that made my kids feel horrible.”

Gilleon says that since going public with the case, he’s been approached by others with similar claims. This week, he says the parents of a 5-year-old black child want to sue over a similar account. Nastasia White tells WPTV News that she experienced the same kind of treatment by an actor dressed as Disney character Donald Duck during a recent trip with her son, Razzi.

“He was sitting there with his arms open, saying, ‘Donald, Donald!'” she says. Rather than paying mind to her son, though, she says the actor ignored the child and instead favored a baby in a stroller and then another group of kids.

“It was done in a blatant and ugly way,” the mom claims. According to her, her son asked, “‘Why didn’t Donald want to take a picture with me?’

“Inside, I wanted to cry. This was discrimination,” she tells WPTV.

The Whites have since retained Gilleon and are discussing a second lawsuit waged at the amusement park. But while the attorney says he’s hearing more and more tales as news picks up, he isn’t picking on the entirety of Disney, so to speak.

“It doesn’t mean Disneyland is racist, but they have some people in the company who aren’t playing by the rules and are being discriminatory,” he tells WPTV.

According to the network, Gilleon plans to subpoena Disney to obtain surveillance photo from both the Black and White incidents.

2013 Indian Wells Arts Festival Commemorative Poster Artwork Unveiled At City Council Meeting

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2013 Indian Wells Arts Festival Commemorative Poster Artwork Unveiled At City Council Meeting

2013-Linda-Dusty-Kinman_smIndian Wells, CA – The 2013 Indian Wells Arts Festival commemorative poster has been exclusively created by the renowned mother/son artists, Linda Lee Kinman and Dusty Kinman of Kinman Studios located in Dexter, Oregon. This talented duo specializes in painting Southwest deserts during the springtime in order to capture the fleeting beauty of wildflowers in oils on linen canvas painted with palette knives.

Linda Lee and Dusty presented the painting for the commemorative poster entitled Trail To The Pyramids at a special unveiling that took place at the February 7, 2013 Indian Wells City Council meeting with the help of Indian Wells Mayor Mary T. Roche.

The piece depicts a popular hiking trail and monument detailed with indigenous flora/fauna brilliantly capturing the beauty and essence of Indian Wells.

It takes the Kinmans approximately three weeks to create their joint work of art. Dusty works on the background painting the mountains and trees, while mother Linda Lee utilizes her skills in the foreground. Dusty, with the encouragement of his late father, who was also an artist, attended his first festival at the age of 19 and sold 17 paintings in three days. He does what he does because he “loves life.”

2013-Aaden_smDusty’s young five-year-old son, Aaden, a budding artist, is also following in the footsteps of his grandparents and father. Hidden hearts grace most every painting. A special contest will be held (details pending) to guess how many hearts are hidden in the Indian Wells Arts Festival 2013 commemorative poster. Also, there are plans to offer a miniature painting of the larger at a free drawing during the festival that runs from Friday April 5 through Sunday April 7 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

More than 200 award winning artists showcasing their fine art and quality craft will transform the magnificent path-lined plaza of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden – home of the BNP Paribas Tournament – into a spectacular festival experience on April 5, 6, and 7 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Indian Wells is conveniently located in the heart of the Southern California – Pam Springs/Desert Resort communities. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden with it s beautiful landscaped grounds has been the host sponsor of the Indian Wells Arts Festival since inception.

Ranked as one of the 100 Best Fine Art Shows in the country (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009) by Sunshine Artist Magazine and voted 2009 Best of the Best Art Festivals by readers of Palm Springs Life magazine, The Indian Wells Arts Festival celebrates its 11th year.

The Indian Wells Arts Festival is designed to create a festive art marketplace experience for both the collector and first-time buyer, as well as to host community celebration and benefit local non-profits such as The Ophelia Project and S.C.R.A.P. Gallery. Other local non-profit Festival Partners include Old Town Artisan Studio, Aztec Dancers of Desert Mirage High School, Palm Springs Unified School District, Cathedral City High School Digital Arts Academy, Vocal Performance and Appreciation Club at College of the Desert, George Washington Charter School.

You don’t have to be an art aficionado to enjoy the Indian Wells Arts Festival. The creative synergy of working artists, local sponsors, exhibitors and non-profit partners creates a color-filled artisan village vibrant with activity.

Selected by jury process, artists are on hand to explain and demonstrate the techniques that created hundreds of pieces of on-of-a-kind artwork available for purchase. Offerings include painting, drawing, ceramic, glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry, apparel and hand-crafted wares. On-site demonstrations include glass blowing, painting, weaving, large scale stone sculpturing, larger-than-life mural painting, sand sculpture, wood carving and pottery throwing. With a celebrated reputation for its quality and wide variety of fine art and quality craft, artists travel from throughout the country to participate.

A Gourmet Market Place offers gourmet specialties, while sidewalk chalk drawing, children’s activities, wine tasting, live musical entertainment, book signings, and refreshments are ongoing throughout the day.

The City of Indian Wells welcomes the festival as it generates activity and exposure to the area. “The Indian Wells Ars Festival is an outstanding cultural event that draws locals and visitors,” said Indian Wells Mayor Mary Roche. “We are proud that it has become one of our city’s annual signature events.

Since its inception, the Indian Wells Arts Festival has grown in stature and continues to showcase incredible artistic talent. The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is the perfect venue for this world-class arts festival. We applaud Indian Wells Arts Festival producer Dianne Funk for creating this exceptional annual cultural event. The festival has so much to offer art enthusiasts of all ages.”

Entrance fee is $12 for adults and children are free. Parking is free and valet is available.

For more information please call 760-346-0042 or go to http://Indianwellsartsfestival.com

Double trouble: French rape case impeded by twins’ identical DNA

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Double trouble: French rape case impeded by twins’ identical DNA
Researcher using a GeneChip of US company Affymetrix which manufacturates DNA microarrays, in a laboratory of French biopharmaceutical company Genfit (AFP Photo / Philippe Huguen)
Researcher using a GeneChip of US company Affymetrix which manufacturates DNA microarrays, in a laboratory of French biopharmaceutical company Genfit (AFP Photo / Philippe Huguen)

Police in Marseille have arrested identical twin brothers for a string of sexual assaults. Officers believe one, if not both men are to blame, but cannot be sure as the pair’s DNA is nearly indistinguishable.

Police have charged both men, identified as 24-year old unemployed delivery drivers Elwin and Yohan, over the rapes. Both are being held with bail.

Standard DNA tests are unable to differentiate between their DNA, only far more difficult and potentially cost prohibitive tests would be necessary to figure out who is the culprit.

The pair deny any involvement in the rapes of six women, aged 22 to 76, between September and January.

Police were able to track down the men after being identified by CCTV footage shot on a bus. A cell phone allegedly stolen from one of the victims was also found in the brothers’ possession. The victims were also able to identify their attacker, but not tell them apart.

“It’s a rather rare case for the alleged perpetrators to be identical twins,” chief investigator Emmanuel Kiehl told AFP.

Kiehl said DNA evidence was discovered at some of the crime scenes, though the cost of extensive-enough tests would be “onerous.” 

Due to the highly complicated nature of the tests, it could reportedly cost up to $1.3 million dollars to carry them out.

One DNA expert told the French newspaper La Provence “For a normal analysis we compare 400 base pairs[of nucleotides].” In order to differentiate between the twins, “We would be looking at billions,” he added.

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