Puffiness, dark circles, crowsfeet and well- worn wrinkles eventually plague us all. Sometimes they appear alone, other times they visit in a team. The list of ingredients to combat your occular woes are long and hard to pronounce. Half of the products claim the latest and greatest discovery with strange names we’ve never heard of which leave us to...
Should California businesses pay more more in taxes on revenues derived from sales in California than businesses that do not reside in California? I will go out on a limb and say ‘no’.
Why then did California Republicans object to Assembly Bill 1500, a bill that would tax out-of-state businesses at the same rate as California-based businesses? As guide posts,...
Who would have thought there would be a line to get into Neil’s Lounge on an early Wednesday evening for dinner! I was lucky to get a table as I, for the first time, came in to enjoy Steak Night offered by Western Grill, the restaurant located inside of Neil’s. Please allow me to preface...
by Mike Livingston; Co-Host, The CaddyShack Radio Show
With the PGA Championship, golf’s fourth major just recently completed and action on all three of the other major tours also happening these past two weekends, the world of golf most certainly is a busy place right now, with chases for FedEx points, prize money totals and tour standings meaning more and...
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of August 23
© Copyright 2012 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Do you know what a controlled burn is? Firefighters start small, manageable fires on purpose so as to eradicate brush that has accumulated too close to wooded areas. With less fuel around, bigger fires are not as likely to ignite accidentally and turn into conflagrations....
BYLINE: DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Every now and again we have to tell you a True Story. Cross our hearts…etc. There was a young couple walking along a river late afternoon of a lovely day (few mosquitoes) in the Midwest countryside, nuzzling and noodling, as young couples do. (Some old couples do, too, but that’s another story.) As...
For many DJs, coming up with a good stage name can be as challenging as learning the craft itself. Some DJs make it easy by modifying their real name, you switch a vowel here, move a consonant there or you might be one of the lucky ones who were blessed with a cool DJ name at birth (highly...
When there is an accident with a DUI the DA often takes months to investigate the case BEFORE filing the DUI charge. The DA does not always send a notice to the driver that the case has been filed. Thus many people assume there was no filing and they have a VALID CDL. The California Supreme Court has ruled...
JIMMY CLIFF “Rebirth” (Universal Music )
The tiny island of Jamaica has produced a wealth of Reggae
musicians since the late 50s. Reggae and Ska are a mash up of indigenous
island folk music flavored by Jazz, American R & B and New Orleans Funk.
The music first took hold in the mid 60’s, just as Jamaica...
Gerard Grey is a 35 year old local tattooist. He has been working as an independent contractor at Body Accents Tattoo for almost 4 years, where all of his coworkers have different artistic styles using different kinds of medium to produce quality tattoos. Body Accents is conveniently located at 73885 Hwy 111 Suite 3, Palm Desert.
Grey enjoys focusing on...
Snake Jagger has spent his whole life inspired and creatively influenced by the raw nature and beautiful desert landscapes of the Coachella Valley and surrounding areas. Many know his work through his depiction of surreal desert scenes and landscapes. His clever use of juxtaposing everyday objects into his work typically makes for an effortless attack at the viewer's imagination...
BluPrint Green Gallery located at 386 N Palm Canyon will be hosting the 2012 Savage Pets art fundraiser for animal charities throughout the valley, featuring the art of artist Shawn Savage of Savage Gallery.
Artist Shawn Savage launches his 2012 Savage Pets show of paintings and sculpture to help raise funds for animal charities. Savage will be kicking off the...
By Lisa Morgan
Give me some facts and words and I can turn it into a story. Give me some music and I can sing you a song. But give me lump of clay and you know what you’ll get? A distorted, disproportioned lump of clay that probably looked better BEFORE I laid hands on it. Not in the case...
What is the definition of “good” art? According to Tolstoy, art must create a specific emotional link between artist and audience, one that "affects" the viewer. Good art has the “ability to unite people though clear and genuine communication.” Tolstoy believed that the concept of art embraces any human activity in which one emitter, by means of external signs,...
“It’s always something”………spoken with so much wisdom by Roseann Roseanna Dana, the character created by the brilliant comedienne Gilda Radner. For those of you too young to remember, just get hold of some old recordings of Saturday Night Live. Radner was among the original cast of the NBC hit, that still airs to this day.
Gilda began her hard battle...
BY Lisa Morgan -
“This is what we do,” the Basalt Man said as he led me outside into the desert’s brutal summer heat. Before me stood what appeared to be a stone pillar, projecting five feet above a small bed of river rock, cool water springing from within it cascading down around its beautiful, weather worn fissures and...
by Rick Riozza
For anyone who wished to practice their Italian, their appreciation for classic Italian wines, and the delicious cuisine at the Escena Grill & Lounge—well perhaps we met while dining at the excellent wine pairing dinner featuring Beni di Batasiolo Winery & Vineyards.
The Escena Lounge & Grill is in the midst of their 2nd annual wine pairing dinner...
by Lola Rossi-Meza
Karaokie Jo celebrates 25 years as the first KJ in the Coachella Valley.
From eight tracks and cassettes to Laserdiscs and CDs to the now more sophisticated Lap Top Computer, Karaokie Jo has stood the test of time and is celebrating 25 years as the first Karaoke Disc Jockey in the Coachella Valley. She now performs in the...
According to the Small Business Administration, 70% of all new businesses survive one year while half survive five years. If you want to be one of the survivors, you have to be physically, mentally and financially ready for the long hours, costs and demands required. It cannot be stressed enough that it is imperative for you to have a...
By Selma Grows
Originally from Marin County, this week’s featured artist, Niki Rhodes, has been from Nebraska to Virginia to Boston and San Francisco and now proudly calls the Coachella Valley her home. She has been a SELMA affiliate for over 6 months and has already completed 2 Public Benefit showings during the El Paseo Art Walk, Palm Desert.
Raised by...
GET SERIOUS, SILLY, GROSS & SCARY
HOPE SPRINGS
If it weren’t for stars Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, this film would be almost unwatchable. Advertised as a romantic comedy, it’s anything but. This serious drama brings to life – if you can call it that – a very long counseling session with an extraordinarily bland psychologist (Steve Carrell). We squirm...
By Michael Brewer
It takes a lot of faith in your food to open a restaurant in the Desert in July. It takes a lot of pride to open a small pizzeria at The River at Rancho Mirage, surrounded by large, well-known chain restaurants. After one mouthwatering meal at Michael’s Pizzeria, the confidence that they have in their restaurant is...
Alert, you may have heard eating yogurt is good for your digestive system. The answer is affirmative. Ingesting a probiotic as a part of your daily regime will bolster you as well. Ok, you may be asking yourself a pro bi what? What are probiotics? Why do we need them? What can a regular probiotic do for me? All...
by Jack St.Clair
“You know what a paradox is?” says Chris Dub, the 24 year old giant-of-a-bass player for Deadend Paradox. “That’s kind of us. Three different types of guys colliding.” It’s an accurate self-assessment from this local rock band that prides itself on being atypical.
Deadend Paradox began like most bands. Singer, guitarist Alex Antonio, 24, and drummer Eddie Airada,...
The American standard of popping pills and treating the symptom of the underlying disease is really not creating health in our society. Instead, this subscription to big pharma is leaving patients to contend with more pills to treat side effects of the first pills, trapping them in a vicious cycle of pharmaceuticals.
There are many schools of thought regarding health,...
by Haddon Libby
I got a few people in high places upset with me recently because of an article I wrote on “The Misuse of RDA (aka Redevelopment Agency) Funds”. I was told that I don’t understand government accounting. Government accounting, I was told, is “bucket” accounting and totally different than the real world.
Let’s walk through “bucket” accounting and see...
Week of August 16
© Copyright 2012 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): These days you have a knack for reclamation and redemption, Aries. If anyone can put fun into what's dysfunctional, it's you. You may even be able to infuse neurotic cluelessness with a dose of erotic playfulness. So be confident in your ability to perform real magic in tight...
BYLINE: DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Game On! Well, not quite. However, soon the fashion dress-code climate will evolve from Desert Casual (crop-pants and a food-fight-bright print top for her, khaki shorts and polo shirt for him), to Desert Evening Casual (same as above, but with more valet-blinding bling) to breathtaking Gala Garb! The operative word on the “Gala” invitation with its red...
Ask a mobile DJ how they like performing at weddings and you will get a different answer every time. From, “I love being a part of someone’s special day” to “I hate bridezillas.” Many DJs who are great club jocks are not necessarily good wedding DJs. A good wedding DJ not only possesses diverse music knowledge from every decade...
In Los Angeles County 56 courts have been closed due to a lack of money. Riverside is next. In the Indio court, some cases have been sent to downtown Riverside or even Orange County because there were no courtrooms available. This affects a lawyer and client’s decision of whether it is worthwhile to go to trial. Now you and...
BEACHWOOD SPARKS “Tarnished Gold” (Subpop Records)
Gram Parsons coined the term “Cosmic American Music”
to describe a style of music he pretty much invented.
Back in the late 60s, Parsons was leaving the Byrds to form
the Flying Burrito Brothers. At the same time, former teen idol
Rick Nelson was putting together his Stone Canyon Band.
Both men pioneered a Country-Rock hybrid that paid homage
to...
by Lisa Morgan -
At the early age of 7, Caroldean knew what it was to be a trend setter. A girl after her English grandmother’s own heart, Caroldean spent vacations in Europe with her grandmother being immersed in fashion trends that were a year ahead of the other girls and even the grown women back home. Her grandmother, having...
by Lisa Morgan -
It was 1978. The music scene was a kaleidoscope of influences. Van Halen had just burst onto the scene amidst the cultural phenomenon of Saturday Night Fever and Grease. It was also the year Jim Stephens, music devotee and entrepreneur, hung up his last piece of drywall, took the bold, adventurous leap and opened his own...
by Lisa Morgan -
When I was asked to write a business profile on our desert’s lovely indoor shopping mall, I thought to myself, “A mall is a mall. They have a bunch of stores and a food court. I go there to shop and eat.” Realizing that doesn’t make for much of an interesting read, I did some research,...
by Lisa Morgan -
You, my dear shopping divas and maestros, have a problem that you may not be aware of. There are only 20 MORE SHOPPING WEEKENDS BEFORE CHRISTMAS?!! It’s true! Now before you frantically check your calendars and begin checking my count, just stop, breathe and continue reading for a moment. I am here to help. This is...
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of August 9
© Copyright 2012 Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Apollo astronaut Russell Schweickart had a vision of loveliness while flying through outer space in his lunar module. "One of the most beautiful sights is a urine dump at sunset," he testified. He said it resembles a "spray of sparklers," as ten million little ice crystals...
by Mike Livingston; Co-Host, The CaddyShack Radio Show
With the PGA Championship, golf’s fourth major just on the horizon, Keegan Bradley decided early August was as good a time as any to get hot again. The reigning PGA Champ has been very up-and-down since his breakthrough last year at the Atlanta Athletic Club but that inconsistency was on the upswing...
RECALLING THE FAMILIAR, DISCOVERING THE NEW
THREE FILMS THAT CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO
TOTAL RECALL
I have total recall of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s over-the-top 1990 version of Philip K. Dick’s novel directed Paul Verhoeven. No doubt the maker’s of this reboot are hoping you don’t.
The newest iteration of Dick’s enigmatically layered short story (“We Can Remember it for You Wholesale”) reflects...
I met Lilly, the cute little black kitten pictured, at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. This Riverside county shelter, a modern sprawling building is located in an industrial area off the Bob Hope exit from the 10 freeway. They have an overflow of kittens, beautiful little animals of multiple colors...playful and pawing against the glass, ready...
After years of desert residents asking for it…they finally got it! Red Lobster is here and open for business! My husband and I decided to wait a few weeks before going to avoid the long wait and to let them get the bugs out from opening a new location. Last week we decided it was time. Fortunately we didn’t...
Can you believe it is August? A new school year is around the corner. Soon we will be kissing our summer goodbye. It is bitter sweet. Children will be back to a regular schedule, as will the parents. Children will bemoan their early bedtimes. Parents will be scrambling for dinner and school lunch ideas....
Get ready to rock with the return of Unida this Friday night at The Hood Bar in Palm Desert. Guitarist and co-founder, Arthur Seay, says the band never really broke up or went away, they just took a break. The last time they performed together was at the benefit show last year for Isaiah Poag. Before that it had...
In commemoration of the one year anniversary of the downgrade in US Debt from AAA to AA, I thought you might like to see why we are more inclined to see the US debt rating fall in the not too distant future. This is important to you as the failure to solve this problem will impact the lifestyle...
BYLINE: DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
On a New Yorker magazine summer cover with its much-appreciated artwork---always timely, with smart turns of teasing, a tear-or-two and sometimes snarky commentary, amusing and/or annoying---comes the colorful signature motif of the New Millennium. “Capturing the Memories” by Mark Ulriksen truly captures the modern family of today, whether “urb” to “suburb,” on a pristine...
You can’t help but feel the energy exuding from Cirenia Guerrero when having a conversation with her. It is easy to see why she has been able to establish herself as a local radio and TV personality, with her larger-than-life smile accompanied by her friendly but delicious voice.
Born in Mexicali, Baja California, Cirenia’s parents brought her to Palm...
1. Avoid the realtor acting as a “dual agent” for both the buyer and the seller. Choose an experienced realtor to represent “your interests only” in the transaction.
2. Obtain home inspections by a qualified inspector and consider separate inspections for the roof, the pool and other major items not covered by the general inspection.
3. Be informed of what is on the...
Shawn Colvin “All Fall Down” (Nonesuch Records)
“Was it real and was it new, or just some lines you said before/
I trace our steps, I look for clues/ But I don’t know you anymore.”
That’s Shawn Colvin dissecting a failed relationship in the song
“I Don’t Know You,” and damned if the words don’t ring true for anyone...
Book Review by Heidi Simmons
“Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President”
Nonfiction
Candice Millard
Ask people who the 20th President of the United States was and not many are able to answer. Ask who James Abram Garfield is and still fewer have a clear idea. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of...
Seeking Sommeliers’ Sparkling Rosés by Rick Riozza
Increasingly, wine seems to get its fair share of TV coverage with all the morning and afternoon talk shows. And as the viewing public becomes more vino educated, most of the talk show hosts are deferring to wine professionals and sommeliers to conduct and handle the wine segments.
...
Mark Gregg is “Living the dream”
By Lola Rossi-Meza
Mark Gregg and his band, Dude Jones, have been performing in the Coachella Valley since 1994. "We were developing a following playing around the Valley, performing at ‘B.B. O’Brien’s’ and ‘Cecil’s on Palm Canyon’, but when we started playing at the old ‘Hair of the Dog’, that’s when we started to really...
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