Coachella Valley Weekly - January 5 to January 11, 2023 Vol. 11 No. 43

Lisa Morgan, Rich Henrich, Heidi Simmons, Noe Gutierrez, Tricia Witkower

Writers/Contributors:

Robin Simmons, Rick Riozza, Eleni P. Austin, Craig Michaels, Janet McAfee, Haddon Libby, Sam DiGiovanna, Dale Gribow, Rob Brezny, Denise Ortuno Neil, Dee Jae Cox, Lynne Tucker, Aimee Mosco, Ruth Hill, Madeline Zuckerman, Ed Heethuis, Daniel Paris, Michelle Borthwick, Nadia Popova, Dennis Shelly

Photographers

Robert Chance, Laura Hunt Little, Chris Miller, Esther Sanchez Videographer

Kurt Schawacker

Website Editor

After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is back in full form for cinema lovers to enjoy a variety of screenings across the desert. The festival will screen 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres (2 World, 12 North American, 1 International and 13 U.S.) from January 5-16, 2023.

The line-up includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar® Submissions along with Talking Pictures, New Voices New Visions, Modern Masters, Queer Cinema, Cine Latino, True Stories, World Cinema Now, and more. The festival’s opening night will be the World Premiere of 80 For Brady directed by Kyle Marvin, on Friday, January 6. The festival will close with The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears on Sunday, January 15.

Highlights for this year includes the World Premiere of documentary Shot in the Arm with director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and subject Neil deGrasse Tyson scheduled to attend. Other films with guests include Alice, Darling with Anna Kendrick; The Banshees of Inisherin with Colin Farrell; Chevalier with director Stephen Williams; Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy with director Nancy Buirski and Michael Childers; the North American Premiere of Hilma with director Lasse Hallström and actress Lena Olin; Linoleum with director Colin West and actors Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn; the US Premiere of Moving On with director Paul Weitz; the North American Premiere of My Neighbor Adolf with Udo Kier; the North American Premiere of Racist Trees with directors Sara Newens and Mina T. Son; and Somewhere in Queens with Ray Romano, which he stars in and directs.

“We are beyond excited to welcome back our beloved audience and filmmakers in Palm Springs. We’re especially thrilled to be joined by all four leads of 80 For Brady. The film is brimming with joy and heart, and it’s a perfect film to kick off our 34th edition,” said Artistic Director Lili Rodriguez.

“Our programmers have dedicated almost a year to scouting the world for the films that make up this edition. It is our most thematically diverse year yet and I don’t believe you’ll find two movies that are alike. From light entertainment for casual nights out to urgent commentaries that beg for post-screening conversation and beyond, the cinema is there to capture it all.”

Brendan Fraser is the recipient of

the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance in The Whale. The Film Awards will take place in-person on January 5, 2023 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running through January 16, 2023. The event will be presented by American Express and sponsored by Entertainment Tonight and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

Fraser joins this year’s previously announced honorees Cate Blanchett (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress), Austin Butler (Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor), Viola Davis (Chairman’s Award), Danielle Deadwyler (Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress), Colin Farrell (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor), Bill Nighy (International Star Award, Actor), Sarah Polley (Director of the Year Award), Michelle Yeoh (International Star Award) and The Fabelmans (Vanguard Award). Past recipients of the Spotlight Award, Actor include Bryan Cranston for Trumbo and Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge. Both went on to receive Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.

“Brendan Fraser demonstrates his impressive talent in Darren Aronofsky’s powerful adaptation of The Whale. Fraser gives an extraordinary and haunting performance that paints a vivid portrait of our inability to escape our own sadness,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “For this award caliber performance, it is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Brendan Fraser.”

It was also announced that Viola Davis is the recipient of the Chairman’s Award recognizing her work as an actress and producer for The Woman King. Variety will honor “Elvis”

BY CRYSTAL HARRELL

director Baz Luhrmann with the Creative Impact in Directing Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The award will be presented on Friday, January 6th as part of the annual 10 Directors to Watch brunch at the Parker Palm Springs. The film’s star, Austin Butler, will be on hand to present Luhrmann with the award. Butler will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor at the festival’s Film Awards ceremony on Thursday, January 5th.

Writer/Director/Producer Luhrmann is a master storyteller and pioneer of pop culture working across film, opera, theatre, events and music. His most recent film, “Elvis,” which opened in theaters around the world this summer, has become the filmmaker’s highest grossing film in the U.S. and in 22 international territories, including the UK, Mexico, Holland, Brazil and New Zealand.

Variety will honor Black Panther: Wakanda Forever actor Angela Bassett with the Creative Impact in Acting Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

“Few actresses have stepped into so many iconic roles, from rock queen Tina Turner to Malcolm X’s widow Betty Shabazz to Queen Ramonda to Coretta Scott King, and emerged triumphant from all of them,” said Variety’s EVP of content Steven Gaydos.

“In the three decades since Angela Bassett’s Oscar-nominated turn in “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” the versatile actor has balanced deep humanity with regal grace and heroic strength, all qualities essential to her work in the global film phenomenon that is ‘Wakanda Forever’.”

The Palm Springs International Film Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness. The Film Society produces the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) and Film Awards every January and Palm Springs ShortFest in June.

In addition to curating the best in international cinema, PSIFF’s Film Awards has come to be known as the first stop on the campaign trail for the Academy Awards® and our Oscar®-qualifying ShortFest is the largest short film festival and market in North America. Our festivals, year-round member screenings and educational programs manifest our organization’s mission by nurturing and encouraging new filmmaking talent, honoring the great masters of world cinema, and expanding audience horizons.

For more information on the Palm Springs International Film Festival and to purchase tickets, visit the official website at www. psfilmfest.org

Tracy

Bobby Taffolla

Distribution Phil Lacombe, William Westley

Brendon Fraser photo by Chad Griffith; Collin Farrell photo by Matt Easton; Sarah Polley photo by Derek Shapton; Cate Blanchett photo by Tom Munro; Bill Nighy photo by Aliona Adrianova; Danielle Deadwyler photo by Dalvin Adams; Michelle Yeoh photo by Thomas Laisne; Austin Butler photo by Eric Ray Davidson; Viola Davis photo by AB+DM.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Lost King

The Whale

EDITORIAL

Hollywood has long found gold in the mountains rising vertically above Palm Springs – and in the city’s midcentury modern architecture and rocky desert terrain.

But today, instead of just exploiting the scenery for films such as “Palm Springs Weekend,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” writers and producers are increasingly asking about Palm Springs’ flip side of utopia.

Local historical societies and older journalists like myself are being asked about historical issues such as the city’s removal of Section 14 residents, the misappropriation of Indian land, and the infiltration of the Mafia.

Researchers want to know, when did Palm Springs go from a fantasy world of white exceptionalism to the multi-cultural tapestry it is today?

My answer is, shit started to get real about 60 years ago.

In 1963, as New York capo Joe Valachi was taking the gag off the Mafia code of Omerta and TV’s “Leave It to Beaver” was wrapping its final symbolic season, Palm Springs’ diverse, indigenous, and nefarious communities were rising from the shadows of its beacon of prosperity.

Stories from Palm Springs back then were easily romanticized.

Dwight D. Eisenhower moved out of the White House and into Eldorado, an Indian Wells country club named after the legendary city of gold. President John F. Kennedy visited him there in 1962, sowing the seeds for greater Palm Springs becoming the Playground of the Presidents.

Frank Sinatra produced Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural balls. He made his best albums, filled Nevada showrooms, and started film and recording companies in the early ’60s. His valet, George Jacobs, said stars and show biz leaders moved to Palm Springs just to gain access to him. Sinatra drew more stars to his celebrity golf tournament at the new Canyon Country Club in 1963 than the Palm Springs Golf Classic, which became the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

But Sinatra had to relinquish his Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe in 1963 after the Nevada Gaming Control Board learned it was partly owned by Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana.

Sinatra was stewing at his Rancho Mirage compound while Kennedy was having a rendezvous of his own with Marilyn Monroe on his ’62 desert trip. Sinatra felt the President owed him. He had turned his compound into a Western White House for Kennedy. Two years earlier, he had convinced Giancana to swing the presidential election for JFK by skewing the Illinois vote. Now the Democratic president was staying at Republican Bing Crosby’s house in Palm Desert? Did his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, think if JFK stayed in the compound where Sinatra had hosted Giancana the press might discover he had solicited him as a favor to Kennedy’s father, Joe -- the racist, Nazi-advocating former Ambassador to England?

And that 1962 Kennedy-Eisenhower powwow? They were likely discussing a plan Ike probably authorized to kill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. JFK was still trying to get that done.

The Castro assassination theory

The CIA had planned to train 25 Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro in March 1960. When that escalated into an invasion proposal, advisors suggested killing him instead. The CIA contacted Howard Hughes’ chief of Nevada operations, Robert Maheu, who did off-thebook CIA jobs, offering $150,000 to arrange Castro’s assassination.

The man Maheu chose for the job was Chicago mobster Johnny Roselli, whose Palm Springs history went back to 1935. The town’s future mayor, Frank Bogert, threw him out of the Racquet Club when Bogert managed that nascent celebrity magnet after a physical altercation. Its co-owner, actor Ralph Bellamy, advised Bogert to high-tail it out of town when he heard Roselli had ordered a hit. Bogert wouldn’t leave, but he did take a job publicizing the El Mirador Hotel in 1936. Roselli continued to patronize the Racquet Club.

Roselli’s team tried to kill Castro with cigars laced with poison and explosive devices during Kennedy’s first month in the White House, according to Sen. Frank Church’s 1975 Select Subcommittee reports on CIA assassinations. Another attempt to get Castro to swallow poison pills failed in April 1962, one month after Kennedy’s talk with Eisenhower.

By then, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had not only stumbled upon the Castro

assassination plot, he learned Roselli’s onetime girlfriend, Judith Campbell, had also been having sex with Giancana, Sinatra and President Kennedy.

Even so, Roselli sent another hit squad to Cuba in September 1962. A U-2 spy plane’s discovery of Cuban missiles in October finally curtailed plans to kill Castro.

Roselli later described his CIA mission to another girlfriend, singer-actress Betsy Duncan (now Hammes) of Palm Springs.

Duncan, now 91 and due to be interviewed for a documentary on Roselli in January, first encountered Roselli while singing at the Las Vegas El Rancho Hotel. She was being harassed by its owner and Roselli resolved her problem without encountering her, she said. She met Roselli in Los Angeles in the late ’50s, finding him “nice and charming.” They remained friends until 1976, when Roselli’s body was found in a barrel in the Caribbean Sea.

The FBI agent overseeing Palm Springs, Clayton Thomas, said he surveilled Roselli at the now-demolished Canyon Hotel in the ’60s. Duncan said they also shadowed her.

“When I was singing at the El Mirador (in 1961), the FBI was following me the entire time,” she said in October. “I said, ‘Why don’t you speak to me?’ They watched me to see if Johnny Roselli would get in touch with me and he never did.”

After the Castro assassination plot was terminated, Duncan said Roselli told her he took the job out of a sense of patriotic duty. He said he didn’t accept the CIA’s $150,000.

“He said he had three gunboats shot out from underneath him,” Duncan told me. “He said he tried three times.”

Roselli hosted an L.A. wedding party for Duncan and businessman Ever Hammes in 1969. After that, Duncan said Roselli stayed in Palm Springs with Sinatra’s best friend, Oscarwinning composer Jimmy Van Heusen.

Mafia infiltration

Palm Springs was an open town for organized crime even before then. Al and Lou Wertheimer, members of Detroit’s Purple Gang, started the posh Dunes casino in Cathedral City in 1934. Working for him were Irwin Rubinstein, who later owned Sinatra’s favorite Palm Springs post-war supper club, Ruby’s Dunes, and Wilbur Clark, who later fronted the Desert Inn for the Cleveland syndicate. Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut there in 1951.

Dunes pit boss George Zouganelis became a popular Palm Springs bookie when The Dunes and two other Cathedral City casinos

were shut down in the early 1940s. Bogert called him, “highly respected by everyone in town.”

Zouganelis and Frank Portnoy, another Dunes employee-turned-casino owner and restaurateur, were charged with bookmaking in 1956 after a raid by 40 deputies. Portnoy pleaded guilty to five counts, but Superior

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bruce Fessier chronicled the history of the Mafia in the Coachella Valley in an award-winning Desert Sun series in late 2014. Since leaving that paper in 2019, he has lent film and TV producers, journalists and museums his thoroughly-researched historical perspectives on the mob, Section 14 controversies and showbiz legends of old Palm Springs, including Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. This series looks back at the events of more than five decades ago to provide context to repercussions still reverberating today.

BY BRUCE FESSIER

President John F. Kennedy visited former President Dwight D. Eisenhower at Eisenhower’s Eldorado Country Club home in 1962 while the Kennedy Administration was trying to act on plans conceived during Eisenhower’s term to kill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

©2022 Palm Springs Historical Society. All rights reserved.

Betsy Duncan Hammes, a nationally-known singer and actress based in Palm Springs, was a close friend of Johnny Roselli’s in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. She’s seen here with a monkey in the Safari Room of the El Mirador Hotel, where she performed in 1961.

Photo courtesy of Betsy Hammes

Johnny Roselli. Public domain mug shot

Court Judge Hilton McCabe, who later oversaw a controversial Indian conservatorship program we’ll get to later, gave him probation and a $750 fine. Zouganelis had his charges dismissed for insufficient evidence.

By August 1961, Palm Springs was so infested with mobsters, Robert Kennedy had Taylor open an auxiliary FBI office in Palm Springs, moving him from the FBI’s L.A. organized crime unit.

“What I found was, most of the organized crime figures came here to vacation,” Taylor told me for a 2014 Desert Sun Mafia series. “They stayed mostly at El Mirador Hotel and they would spill over to the Spa and a couple of others. Then they would rent houses for the season.”

Taylor’s first surveillance target was Chicago’s godfather emeritus, Tony Accardo. Taylor only found him when a neighboring insurance adjuster came to his house for dinner.

“We were talking about Tony Accardo,” Taylor recalled, “and he says, ‘I know where he lives.’ So we got in the car and drove to his office. (Accardo) was staying in a house in Canyon Country Club. It had wind damage to the roof.”

Former Palm Springs Police officer Mark Moran, who died in August, grew up with mobsters as neighbors. His father was on the organized crime task force of Riverside County Sheriff Ben Clark. When Moran became a fulltime cop in 1973, his dad told him, “Keep your nose clean.”

“The Palm Springs Police Department was one of the most corrupt police departments in the United States,” Moran told me in 2014. “The (county) Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit considered that, if they gave information to the Palm Springs Police Department, it was in the hands of the mob within an hour.”

New York mob bosses selected a private Las Palmas neighborhood home for a 1965 confab with Jerry Zarowitz, a convicted sports fixer who ran Caesars Palace in Las Vegas after developer Jay Sarno launched it in 1966. Sinatra began a residency at Caesars in ’67. In 1972, Zarowitz built a Las Palmas mansion at 911 Juarez Ave., modeled after the Vatican and Emperor Nero-inspired casino. It’s now using Zarowitz’s reputation as “the boss” of Caesars Palace as a selling point.

But ex-Palm Springs Police Chief Lee Weigel, a beat cop in the ’70s, said his force was not corrupt. He acknowledged the Los Angeles Police Department would not share organized crime information with Palm Springs cops but said that changed after Tom Kendra became chief in 1977. He appointed a four-man unit to monitor Chicago mobsters, including Accardo.

“Back in the old days,” said Weigel, “our attitude was, ‘Yeah, there’s organized crime people that live in Palm Springs. But they don’t do business here, so we don’t do anything to them.’ I think that was real bothersome to the LAPD. For years, they wouldn’t let us in the organized crime brotherhood, if you will. We weren’t soft. We had a reputation for being that way, but we certainly didn’t feel we were.”

One reason for their reputation might have been because Sinatra and other local stars performed annual concerts for the Palm Springs Police Officers Association in return for small favors.

The Police Show began in 1949 after exvaudevillian Eddie Cantor suggested it to Ray

Ryan, a high-stakes gambler who would soon buy a managing interest in the El Mirador.

In 1962, the show featured Sinatra, Hope, Gene Autry, Jayne Mansfield, and Jack Jones, who won a Grammy that year. In 1963, the bill included Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Red Skelton, Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens.

The latter two were in town shooting the youth culture film, “Palm Springs Weekend,” which helped turn Palm Springs’ spring break tradition into a wild mass exodus. Sinatra often recruited local stars for the Police Show, knowing they could benefit from rides home from cops if they were ever caught drinking and driving.

Weigel didn’t deny a quid pro quo relationship with the stars who performed for free to raise funds for the cops’ pension and other services.

“It was the money that kept our union in business,” he told me before his 2002 retirement. “To think if they were stopped for speeding after they spent a night a year of raising us up to $50,000 to run our police association, to think they wouldn’t get a break would be ludicrous. They would. All the officers that worked here, unless they were on duty, were working the Police Show and these celebrities were talking to everybody.”

The Police Show was one of Palm Springs’ two signature events of 1962 and ’63. The other was Desert Circus, which featured events ranging from hayseed activities to a sophisticated ball. Its parade down Palm Canyon Drive included horseback riders, marching bands and floats featuring major stars and folks from the Mexican Colony, as the Latinx from Section 14 of the downtown Indian Reservation called themselves. Other

minorities didn’t have a float, although local nightclubs prominently featured Black and Hispanic entertainers.

Wertheimer started Desert Circus in 1934, the same year he opened the Dunes casino. Ryan, a frequent Desert Circus “high sheriff,” recruited Wilbur Clark for that role in ’61. He judged a costume contest with Bogert and followed L.A.’s real sheriff, Peter Pitchess, in the parade.

Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parson was the 1962 Desert Circus Queen. She reigned over a Desert Circus Ball featuring music by Grammy-winning singer Keely Smith, who had been romantically linked to Sinatra and Giancana. California Gov. Pat Brown attended with Democratic political operative Phil Regan, who was convicted of bribing a public servant in 1972. Ryan hosted a table with actors William Holden and Bruce Cabot, the Duke and Duchess of Manchester, England, and the ubiquitous Bogert.

Roberta Linn, who, at 94, still performs weekly at T’s on the Green in Cathedral City, is probably the last star to have appeared in the Police Show and Desert Circus. She was Lawrence Welk’s first TV “champagne lady” and performed at mob-owned venues across the nation. She met Maheu in the Sahara Hotel lounge in Las Vegas with her mother.

“I had a low-cut dress on and this man kept circling the tables,” she recalled. “He gave me his card and it was Mr. Maheu. He said, ‘Mr. Hughes would like to invite you to dinner

tomorrow night.’ My mother said, ‘She’s not going to dinner with Mr. Hughes.’”

Ryan was her bridge between Vegas and Palm Springs in the late ’50s.

“Ray flew two Western Airlines planes from here with all the big stars on them and supplied all the rooms and all the food and all the booze and gave everybody money to gamble with,” she said. “We stayed at the Sands. Jakey Freedman (a frontman for New York mob bosses Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello) was the Jewish connection to the Sands. I loved him.

“We were a family. We were owned by the mob. Our contracts came through these fellows that ran the hotels. And those were the best years. They were wonderful hosts.”

Linn ended her relationship with Ray in 1959. In 1961, she married a rock and roller, Freddie Bell of the Bellboys, who inspired Elvis Presley’s version of “Hound Dog.”

Ryan was called “Mr. Palm Springs” in those “Leave It to Beaver” years. But the times they were a-changing. Ryan became a marked man in 1963. A gangster found his mark in 1977 in Evansville, Indiana.

Read part two of “The Flip Side of Utopia” at CoachellaValleyWeekly.com

Bruce Fessier is a veteran Rancho Miragebased journalist.

Contact him at jbfess@gmail.com facebook.com/bruce.fessier instagram.com/bfessier twitter.com/BruceFessier

Album cover courtesy of Warner Bros.

Ray Ryan (left) and Eddie Cantor regularly had breakfast together at the El Mirador Hotel after Cantor suggested a Police Show to benefit the Palm Springs Police Association. Ryan became a major sponsor of the starstudded concert that benefited the police officers’ pension fund and other community activities. ©2022 Palm Springs Historical Society. All rights reserved.

Frank Sinatra holds the poster for the all-star lineup of the 1962 Police Show. He’s promoting the annual benefit concert, held in the quad area of Palm Springs High School, with police employee Michelle Ailor. ©2022 Palm Springs Historical Society. All rights reserved.

Singer Roberta Linn attends a 1956 gala event with Ray Ryan (right) and Charles O’Curran, a friend of Ryan’s who choreographed Linn’s Las Vegas show. ©2022 Palm Springs Historical Society. All rights reserved.

SENDMEATRAINER

Hello 2023! Hello January! Hello, New Year’s Resolutions!

Everyone knows what New Year Resolutions are but have you ever thought about scientific reasons for New Year Resolutions?

Why do we feel compelled to set New Year’s resolutions? What about “January 1st” gives us the motivation to change? Studies have shown that we are more likely to tackle new goals when a significant milestone passes, such as the outset of a new week, month, or year.

Professor & Chair of Psychology at the University of Scranton, John C Norcross, has written on the science behind New Year’s resolutions for decades. Amongst his research that spans from 1978-2020, Norcross has found that of those who make a New Year’s resolution:

75% are still successful in keeping it after one week.

After two weeks, the number drops to 71%.

After one month, the number drops again to 64%.

And after six months, 46% of people

MUSIC

who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it.

Compared to those with similar goals but no set resolution, only 8% are still successful after six months.

So how do you make your New Year’s resolution stick?

It is important to remember it is a journey, not an overnight fix, especially when it comes to the most common of resolutions, weight loss and exercise.

I am here to assure you Change is not going to happen overnight.

Our motto: Live your Values!

Recognizing that the changes you are making are part of the person you want to be can help you sustain your resolutions over the long term.

A simple way of remembering your values is saying, for example, “I want to be the kind of person who enjoys healthy eating. I feel good when I eat at home and I’m saving money and that’s important to me so I’m going to keep doing this.” I have never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I felt that I was setting myself up for failure.

This year instead of listing an abstract goal like “eat healthier,” I will think of specific small habits I can incorporate into my normal everyday life. And if I fail at any of these small steps — which I’m sure I inevitably will, I’ll do my best to give myself some slack and recognize that failure and recovery are part of the goal setting process. I’ll pick back up and not wait until the new year to start again. We can all find more success if we take a new approach to setting goals this year.

BY COACH NADIA POPOVA

Instead of waiting until January 1st, do something, or quit something, when you are ready. You can set the date, or you can start out of the blue. It doesn’t matter what day of the year it is. We all know time is going to pass anyway.

Whether it’s a Monday or a random Thursday in the middle of January, there’s never a perfectly right – or wrong – time to set a new challenge.

Rather than waiting until the next fresh start to throw yourself full-throttle into yet another realistic goal, only to wind up burnt out by week three, why not start making smaller, actionable changes now, and watch your new life blossom as we enter into 2023?

Please call or text (760)880-9904. Our Trainers are available to come at your convenience. Visit our website for more details at sendmeatrainer.com/palmsprings Happy New Year!

This

who cut her performer’s teeth in the desert, she has always aspired to bring her music worlds together.

Zelaya Divina: “I have dedicated a large part of my life to exploring any and every music scene in Southern California that I possibly can. From DIY backyard shows to festivals and large arena events to intimate open mic sessions; over the past few years I’ve chased a sense of love, unity, safety and compassion that many art communities so often lack. While traveling back and forth between these communities I have often been asked by people from both my hometown and second home, ‘How can I book a show out there?’ I noticed a disconnect.”

Zelaya Divina continues: “I also love to network, introduce people and establish connections. This all led me to the realization of my desire to create safe spaces for people in our respective scenes to enjoy local hip hop at its finest while simultaneously connecting, networking and having fun.”

Headlining this all-ages event will be the Jazz/Hip hop fusion sensation that is Santa Ana’s own, Apollo Bebop. This is definitely an ensemble whose energetic sound and uplifting vibes have a little something for everyone. Having met each other randomly in 2016, these boys melded together their skills with their visions in order to make their mark

BY ESTHER SANCHEZ

in their hometowns and beyond. Between touring opportunities, their residency at Cool Lab in Santa Ana and being featured on Jam in the Van, this is a group you want to see and be a part of on the ground floor of their journey because for them, the sky’s the limit.

Rounding out the night will be performances by So-Cal rap diva, Gucci Mar and Coachella Valley’s very own, Row Low who truly never disappoints.

apollobebop.co

@guccimar iRowLow.com

Saturday, Jan 7th, Flatback Art Supply in Palm Desert will be hosting an event featuring artists from both the desert and OC in an all ages event that is sure to be an uplifting portal into the new year. The brainchild of local artist and promoter,

Zelaya Divina, Hip Hop Union is simply a product of her desire to bring together some of the musical magic she discovered after moving to Orange County with the vibes she grew up with in the Coachella Valley. A vocalist, actor, dancer and choreographer

APOLLO BEBOP

Gucci Mar

ROW LOW

JUNIPER

If you grow up soaking up myriad music styles, it’s bound to make an indelible impression. So, it isn’t surprising that Juniper Shelley released her solo debut at age 15. Not only did she inherit her mom’s impeccable musical taste, but her dad, Michael, a talented singer-songwriter in his own right, encouraged her nascent talent.

She began learning the piano in the fourth grade, quickly segueing to flute and finally guitar. Soon enough, she was writing her own stuff. Her dad, who also hosts a weekly radio show on WMFU, had already fed her a steady musical diet of The Beach Boys, Beatles, Zombies and Fountains Of Wayne. But contemporary influences like Taylor Swift crept in as well.

At age nine, Juniper and her dad inaugurated an annual tradition of writing and recording their own original Christmas song. That opened the floodgates, and the pair began to collaborate on more Pop-oriented songs. She provided distaff teenage context, with full vetopower over anything that she deemed fake. In turn, he wrapped the lyrics in melodies that fizzed, fuzzed, snapped, crackled and popped. Several of those songs, plus a few tracks from indie superstars like Francis McDonald (Teenage Fanclub), Kim Shattuck (The Muffs, The Beards), plus Tommy and Kyle from The Rubninoos, wound upon her self-titled debut. Released in the Spring of 2020, it garnered rave reviews. The daughter/father duo began working on a follow-up in the midst of the pandemic lock-down. Rather than create a new album from scratch, Juniper and her dad decided to record an album of covers, with a couple of originals thrown in for good measure. The result is a disparate, 16-song set entitled She Steals Candy.

The album kicks into gear with a drum salvo that lands halfway between the George Of The Jungle theme and “Everybody Wants Some” from DLRera Van Halen. Juniper’s take The Sails’ BritPop hit jettisons their surly angst by latticing sugary vocals atop downstroke guitar riffs and throbbing bass lines. Even as lyrics pine for an unfaithful ex- “BANG, BANG, BANG goes the sound of my heart, when people that you trust rip it apart,” her sunny demeanor signals that she’s already bouncing back.

Juniper takes Girl Power to another level by covering a plethora of songs written by essential feminine voices. First up is a tart take on The Bangles’ “James.” Growly bass lines and a clikity-clack beat is augmented by tremolo’d guitar and stacked vocals. Discomfited by an equivocating swain; “You think there’s better for you, you think I’m too young to see this thing through…” She draws a line in the sand; “And now I realize I had it all wrong, I’ll only take this shit for so long, whoa James, letting me down again James.” A spiky guitar solo on the break underscores her resolve.

Once again, she turns to (the late, great) Kim Shattuck and her Beards

“SHE STEALS CANDY” (CONFIDENTIAL RECORDINGS/FABCOM RECORDS)

compadre Lisa Marr, who supply “Taste The Soup.” A slice of sunny Tropicalia, it’s powered by percolating percussion, sparkly glockenspiel, lilting piano, stabby organ notes, filigreed acoustic guitar and a peppery horn section. Labyrinthine lyrics take a circuitous route when expressing affection; “You’re a stupid bit of childish fun, and probably going to kill me when you’re dead and gone, I know it’s a lot to say, I’m a subtle person who bites down hard, and you can try and catch me when I’m running through the yard, and you are going to get through okay.”

Juniper’s winsome vocals brush up against stripped-down guitars, agile bass, toy piano notes, shimmering organ colors and a knockabout beat on Amy Rigby’s caustic “Baby Doll.” She quickly puts a faithless lothario in his place; “Doll, Baby Doll, he always calls me Baby Doll, thinks I’ll come running when I hear him say Doll, Baby Doll, I may be sweet, I maybe small, but I’m no doll and I won’t be treated this way, I’m no doll and I won’t be treated this way.” Jaggy guitars on the break mirror her bitter enmity.

Even as the Go-Go’s garnered critical acclaim and commercial success, thanks to their effervescent Pop-Punk melodies and angular arrangements, they rarely received approbation for their lyrical acumen. It was evident on songs like “This Town” and “Skidmarks On My Heart” off their debut, as well as “Turn To You,” from their third long-player, Talk Show.” Juniper gives that one a whirl, dialing back on the original’s synth saturation. Instead, the bare-bones instrumentation, walking bass lines and shang-a-lang guitars connect with a snappy backbeat. Juniper’s croony delivery put the lyrics front and center. She urges a reluctant beau to stop resisting gravity’s pull; “It has a lot to do with the first time that we met, the wild dance in your eyes made up for what was never said, gotta get my message, stop spending all our precious time, because before you know it, we’ll be down to one last dime/There are no explanations, why I feel the way I do, the world makes it’s rotations but I just want to turn to turn to you.”

Even in these digital days, Juniper and Michael are seasoned crate-diggers, and they’ve managed to unearth a few nascent compositions from legendary Blues-Rocker, Delbert McClinton, back when he was fronting a Texas Garage band called The Ron-Dels. The trio never broke out nationally, but achieved some regional acclaim. “Pictures Of You” is a bit of a roughhewn, Cowpoke-y chanson. 6 and 12-string guitars, continental accordion and shivery bass are tethered to a clip-clop gait. A classic Country weeper, Juniper is alone and forsaken, with only a dog-eared photo for company; “I pretend that you’re still here with me, happy, just the way we used to be, but pictures can’t talk and they can’t see, know I’m in love with nothing more than a memory.” Lilting accordion notes intertwine with rippling

guitar riffs on the break, rendering the yearning all the sweeter.

“If You Really Want Me To, I’ll Go” is a South Of The Border charmer that wraps sparkly Spanish guitars, Conjunto-flavored organ and sidewinder bass around a chunky backbeat. Vaguely passiveaggressive lyrics like “I don’t know just what you’re trying to do, you told me your love for me was true, I don’t understand, my love, please tell me what to do, if you really want me to, I’ll go” suggest a Fatal Attraction scenario is in the offing. Courtly guitar arpeggios weave in and out of patchwork instrumental quilt, leavening the lyrical angst. Meanwhile, “I Cry Cause I Care” is another lachrymose lament that is anchored by loose-limbed bass lines, a tick-tock beat and guitars that jingle, jangle and twang. Once again, the buoyant arrangement, coupled with Juniper’s effervescent delivery rides roughshod over another sad sack saga of a romance gone wrong.

Juniper and her dad sneak in a couple of originals, the title track and “Ride Between The Cars.” The former is all buzzy guitars, jittery bass, caffeinated keys and a stickity beat. She coolly croons about a mischievous alter-ego that indulges all her wicked impulses, sans consequence; “She shows up though she’s never expected, waste your breath cause she can’t be directed, she steals candy, but she shares it with me/And she will get you on her side, stand behind your curtains, then she will borrow all your clothes, sing you songs when you should really be asleep.” A spiraling guitar solo splits the difference between sticky-sweet bubblegum and Glam-tastic ‘70s AOR.

The latter matches a rumbling big beat with coiled bass lines, strafing guitars and zippy organ runs. Lyrics paint a vivid portrait of a kid who refuses to be seen as a damsel in distress; “She can laugh and wear a dress, she can all her friends at midnight and she’s working up top secret plans to take a giant step if she could just decide/She can ride between cars, she can scribble on a napkin, but she’s running low, so open it and give her something wonderful.” Clocking in at under two minutes, the outro is worth the price of admission, as whirly, Psychedelic organ oscillates wildly around a locomotive beat.

This record is stacked with superlative tracks, but three stand out. There’s a

BY ELENI P. AUSTIN

Punky urgency to “Alone With You.” Fuzzcrusted riffs collide with natty keys, knotty bass and a hopscotch beat. The melody shares some sideways DNA with The Jam’s epochal anthem, “Away From The Numbers.” Looking for a little one-on-one time, lyrics eschew movies, record stores, cafes and shows; “Let’s go to a place with no sidewalks, let’s go to a place with no cars, let’s go to a place with no neon lights, who needs them when we got stars.”

Juniper adds a distaff spin to an obscure, ‘60s nugget, “Don Stole My Girl” from Johnny Fortune, recalibrating it as “Dawn Stole My Guy.” A “Surfin’ & Spyin’ patina is achieved by layering reverb-drenched guitars, finger-popping bass lines and shadowy organ over a ticklish, hi-hat beat. There’s little room for editorializing within the “just-the-facts, Jack,” lyrical reportage; “He had a dimple on his cheek, his build was tall and so unique, when he let me down, I moved way across town, to forget our memories.” The rumbly guitar solo leaves little room for equivocation.

Finally, another Delbert McClinton track. “It’s Over” is a sprightly hoedown that weds kaleidoscopic guitars to pinwheeling keys, Conjunto-flavored accordion and sinewy bass to a cantering beat. Flickering guitars punctuate every act of betrayal; “He told me that he would always care, he told me he’d go with me anywhere, I don’t know what to say, he went away one day, he walked away and left me standing there.”

Other interesting tracks include the Girl Group pastiche of “Little Miss Stuck-Up.” A catchy little nugget, it was originally written and recorded by Bread front-man, David Gates under the rockin’ pseudonym, Del Ashley. Then there’s “See You Tonite,” off Kiss bassist Gene Simmons’ otherwise hit and miss 1978 solo debut. Juniper and her dad strip away the Beatlesque shine, and recast it as a breezy Bossa Nova. The album careens to a close with the thrashy Garage Punk thumper, “I’ve Got A Boy.” The song is bookended by whiplash guitars, swirly, Farfisa-fied organ notes, wiry bass lines and a pummeling beat. A defiant, no fucks given finish to a great record.

Cover albums are typically a tricky proposition. Versions of well-known songs can’t be too on the nose, but must remain recognizable. Juniper subverts expectation by offering up an eclectic collection of her favorites. She doesn’t particularly if anyone else is even vaguely familiar with most of these songs. Consequently, she makes them her own.

These days, most Gen. Z’ers are content to spend their days as Tik-Tok teen influencers (seriously, that’s a thing) Juniper clearly marches to the beat of a different drummer. By following her muse, she’s charting a course for an intriguing career.

Thursday, January 5

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano

Bar – 3:30, Tony Grandberry – 7pm

Casuelas Café – Avenida – 5:30pm

Chef George’s – Marc Antonelli – 6:30pm

Coachella Valley Brewery – Open Mic – 6pm

Cunard’s Sandbar – Bill Baker – 6pm

Desert Beer Co. – Rick Shelley, Juls Phillips and The Sieve & the Saddle – 6pm

Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Christine Love – 6pm

Jazzville @ Agua Caliente – Pino Noir Quartet – 7pm

Jolene’s – Rebecca Clark – 6pm

Lavender Bistro – Mark Guerrero, Scott Carter on the Patio – 6pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

O’Caine’s – Shillelagh Brothers – 6pm

Old Town La Quinta – Live Music in the Plaza – 6-9pm

Plan B Live Entertainment & Cocktails

– Intimate Acoustics w/ Juls Phillips, Miguel Arballo, Josh Heinz, Brian Ortega, Mario Figueroa and The Sieve and the Saddle – 8pm

Pretty Faces Nightclub – Latina Night w/ DJ LF – 9pm

Runway – Derek Jordan Gregg – 6pm

Tommy Bahamas – Alex Santana – 5pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – John Stanley King Trio – 6pm

The Village – DJ Cranberry – 9pm

Friday, January 6

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano Bar – 3:30-6:30pm, Off Da Cuff – 7pm

Bart Lounge – DJs Bad Gal Gali, Aylex

Song and 818 Fausto – 8pm

Casuelas Café – The Myx – 6:45pm

Chef George’s – Lizann Warner – 6:30pm

Cunard’s Sandbar – Bill Baker – 6pm

Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Marc Antonelli – 6pm

Jolene’s – Patrice Morris – 7pm

Larkspur Grill – Desert Crows – 7pm

Lavender Bistro – Jeff Bonds, Scott Carter on the Patio – 6pm

Lit @ Fantasy Springs – Scott Carter Band – 9pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

O’Caine’s – Ken O’Malley – 6pm

Old Town La Quinta – Live Music in the Plaza – 6-9pm

Plan B Live Entertainment & Cocktails

– Red’s Rockstar Karaoke – 9pm

Pretty Faces Nightclub – DJs Cielohigh and Dxsko – 9pm

Purple Room – Jim Caruso’s Cast Party – 6pm

Sullivan’s – Hotwyre – 5:30pm

Tommy Bahamas – Alex Santana –5pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – John Stanley King – 7:30pm

The Village – Rob & JB – 5:30pm, DJ Gio the Ace – 9pm, DJ Cranberry – 9pm

Wildest – Derek Jordan Gregg – 6pm

Saturday, January 7

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano Bar – 3:30-6:30pm, Desert Crows – 7pm

Bart Lounge – DJ Meowsenburg and Friends – 8pm

Casuelas Café – Vinny Berry – noon, Lisa

Lynn and the Broken Hallelujahs – 6:30pm

Chef George’s – TBA – 6:30pm

Cunard’s Sandbar – Bill Baker – 6pm Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Marc Antonelli – 6pm

Jolene’s – Fun with Dick and Jane – 7pm

Lavender Bistro – Jeff Bonds, Scott Carter on the Patio – 6pm

Lit @ Fantasy Springs – Scott Carter Band – 9pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

O’Caine’s – Whiskey Sunday – 6pm

Old Town La Quinta – Live Music in the Plaza – 6-9pm

Pappy and Harriet’s – Garcia/Grisman – 8:30pm

Plan B Live Entertainment & Cocktails – Red’s Rockstar Karaoke – 9pm

Pretty Faces Nightclub – DJs Hymn and LF – 9pm

Purple Room – Jim Caruso’s Cast Party – 6pm

Sullivan’s – Paul Villalobos – 5:30pm Tommy Bahamas – Alex Santana –5pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – Rose Mallett –5-7pm, John Stanley King – 7:30pm

The Village – Rob & JB – 1pm, Dio DJ the Ace – 9pm, DJ Cranberry – 9pm, DJ Erika Starr – 9pm

Wildest – Derek Jordan Gregg – 6pm

Sunday, January 8

Babaloo Lounge – Tristen/Flamingo Guitar – 1pm, Bob Corwin Piano Bar –3:30pm, Tim Burleson – 6pm

Bart Lounge – Latina Night w/ DJ LF – 8pm

Blu Ember – Gina Sedman – 5pm

Casuelas Café – El Mariachi Coachella –1pm, Voices Carrie – 5:30pm

Coachella Valley Brewing Co. –Acoustic Afternoon w/ Mario Quintero and David Saba – 3:30pm

Fisherman’s Market, PS – Live Music – 6pm

Jolene’s – Fun with Dick and Jane – 6pm

Lavender Bistro – Scott Carter, Mark Guerrero on the Patio – 6pm

Melvyn’s – Mikael Healey – 5pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

Tommy Bahamas – Alex Santana –12pm

The Village – Gio the Ace - 9pm

Monday, January 9

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano Bar – 3:30, Tim Burleson – 6pm

Casuelas Café – Live Music – 5:30pm

Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Larry Copeleto – 6pm

Lavender Bistro – Abbie Perkins, Mark Guerrero on the Patio – 6pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – Richard “88 Fingers” Turner – 6pm

The Village – DJ Gio the Ace – 9pm Wildest – Derek Jordan Gregg – 6pm

Tuesday, January 10

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano Bar – 3:30-6:30pm, The Carmens –6:30pm

Casuelas Café – The Desert Suite Band – 5:30pm

Chef George’s – Lizann Warner – 6:30pm

Cunard’s Sandbar – Bill Baker – 6pm

Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Patrice Morris – 6pm

Lavender Bistro – Abbie Perkins, Mark Guerrero on the Patio – 6pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – Slim Man Band – 6pm

The Village – DJ Erika Starr – 9pm

Wednesday, January 11

Babaloo Lounge – Bob Corwin Piano Bar – 3:30-6:30pm

Casuelas Café – Lisa Lynn and the Broken Hallelujahs – 5:30pm

Chef George’s – Tim Burleson – 6:30pm

Coachella Valley Brewing Co. – Trivia Night – 7pm

Cunard’s Sandbar – Bill Baker – 6pm

The Fix – Alex Santana – 5:30pm

Indian Wells Resort Hotel – Rebecca Clark – 6pm

Jolene’s – Open Mic – 6:30pm

Lavender Bistro – Mark Guerrero, Scott Carter on the Patio – 6pm

Lit @ Fantasy Springs – Country Nation – 7pm

The Nest – Live Music – 6:30pm

Plan B Live Entertainment & Cocktails

– Red’s Rockstar Karaoke – 9pm

Tack Room Tavern – T-Bone Karaoke – 7pm

Vicky’s of Santa Fe – John Stanley King – 6pm

The Village – DJ Cranberry – 9pm, Banda Revolucion – 10pm

Wildest – Derek Jordan Gregg – 6pm

SAN XAVIER DEL BAC MISSION

TUCSON, AZ

La Misión de San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation.

Built in the 1700s, this recently restored white adobe church, representing a wonderful example of Spanish colonial architecture, is beautiful inside and out, with colorful frescoes, sculptures and carvings.

Mission San Xavier del Bac is a church, school, and frequently visited tourist attraction in Tucson on the Tohono O’Odham San Xavier Indian Reservation.

The mission was named in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino for a pioneering Christian

missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order), Francis Xavier.

Completed in 1797, the church has Mexican, Spanish, and Tohono O’odham influences. Dubbed the “white dove in the desert,” visitors come from near and far to see the ornate and detailed artwork, to learn about the history, and to admire the careful preservation.

Hours: The church is open from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Free tours are typically offered MondaySaturday starting at 9:30am until 1:00 pm when the church is not in use, but tours are currently on-hold. Be sure to call in advance to check availability.

Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac Masses are held outdoors at the inner

courtyard of the Church and is limited to 25 attendees. Please call 520.294.2624 to reserve a place. All are welcome. Services typically last 45-60 minutes.

Please note the mass schedule: Sat - 5:00pm. Sun - 10:00am & 11:30am

Parking situation: Visitor parking is available in a large dirt lot in front of the mission.

Admission is free. Donations are accepted.

If you wish to light a candle, please purchase one at the gift shop or in the museum foyer for $4.

Photography is permitted when Mass is not in session.

Face masks are required indoors.

Think Prayers and Pray for Peace, Health and Happiness for 2023!

ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY LYNNE TUCKER

TOP WINES FOR THE TOP OF THE YEAR! THE VINO VOICE

It’s a new year but it’s the same old adage: so many wines, so little time!

Well, one New Year’s resolution maybe is to drink down all of those wines you’ve been collecting for so long—I mean what are we waiting for! On the other side of things, it’s a good wine idea to try to taste the variety of wines the world has to offer. And it’s the perfect time to get started.

What we’ll comment on this week are some top quality world-class wines (price theoretically not an issue) that will guide you to at least sample similar varietal & regional wines so to broaden our appreciation of what’s out there in the realm of vino. For those of you who can actually afford these listed wines— well cheers! to you and give us a call quick so we can bring over a grazing platter to pair with your wine.

Let’s bring Bordeaux back to the picture. Many of us venerable vino heads, were first bombarded with Bordeaux that set the mark for so many California winemakers back in the day. The thrill of Bordeaux has waned with the younger generation but it will be exciting as they taste the stuff anew—and, hopefully, become enchanted.

2019 Château Talbot St. Julien ($65) Believe it or not, this is a great price for a world-class Bordeaux. This bottle is text-book Bordeaux giving one the taste of the terrior that will bring back to mind the flavors of the famous region. You’ll remember, red Bordeaux is a red wine blend: this bottle is made up of 69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, and Petite Verdot bringing up the rear.

A fresh aroma of blackberry, raspberry, violets and cedar hits first. The medium-bodied wine begins with flavors of red and black currant paste and plums, and then, moves on to what a Bordeaux brings to life: graphite &lead pencil, tobacco leaf, cedar, gravel—savory stuff for certain, in best way. Wonderful acidity to pair with all full-course meals. Think about the future—and taste it: this bottle will age gracefully for the next 20 years!

Okay—so let’s get back to the Cab Sauv social of California: 2019 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville The Estates ($85) This is another reasonably priced wine for the quality. Wine Spectator writes: “Throws off some pretty gorgeous aromas of violets, anise, and sweet bay leaf, with a core of ripe, streamlined boysenberry and blackberry pâte de fruits following closely. The finish has a racy graphite edge, while the fruit and aromas just spill through and are approachable now, too.”

Interesting—both Cab Sauv grapes from France and California are showing similar notes and flavors. Fun stuff to taste and compare.

Last year, with our article titled, “Superman Soars on Super Tuscans”, I urged our readers to try an Italian Super Tuscan to get on the same

BY RICK RIOZZA

palate page as we discuss the blended wines of Tuscany. The “Super” takes place when the wineries blend the regional Sangiovese with international grapes such as Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Pinot Noir etc.

And right on the money here comes the 2019 Antinori Toscana Tignanello ($145). The vino is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cab Sauv, and 5% Cab Franc. This combo brings both aromas and flavors of bright cherry, black currant, violets, tobacco, iron & sanguine notes and oak spice.

Another wine review stated: “Complex notes of red fruits give rise to delicate aromas of apricots and peaches with sensations of vanilla, dried flowers, chocolate and spice. Its bouquet is complemented by notes of coffee, caramel and Mediterranean herbs. On the palate, the wine is rich and vibrant with silky tannins. Its lengthy finish and aftertaste bring back coffee and chocolate notes perceived on the nose.”

As one could imagine, this wine will pair wonderfully with Italian fare of meat, red sauces, and pizza. But the Tignanello [teennya-Nell-oh] should first be tasted by itself to comprehend what a Super Tuscan wine is all about.

2014 Louis Roederer Brut Champagne Cristal (around $325). We just recommend this world-class bubbly just a couple of weeks ago, but it’s worth the space (and perhaps the price) to discuss it as one of the top wines released this past year.

Valentine’s day fools will be rushing in within a month or so, and it would be a gem in the romance quiver to be able to serve up this fantastic French bubbly. We’ve got the time to save up, but get your order in soon!

The 2014 Cristal is produced entirely from organically farmed estate vineyards of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Receiving a score of 98 points from Wine Spectator, this fresh and lively Champagne is elegance per se with sleek acidity and finely meshed flavors of ripe black cherry and mandarin orange fruit, raw almond, anise and cardamom spice as well as a touch of honeycomb. It shows a fine, creamy palate with a racy character provided by a streak of minerality, saline and chalk.

If you’re desiring a rosé bubbly that great day of love, you can think about grabbing the 2013 Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Brut Millésimé. But you may have to think about saving some more money as the bottle goes for around 700 bucks! Hey what’s money got to do with love!

As we mentioned up front, there are so many wines out there that we will have to continue this commentary of Top Wines continually throughout the year! Have a good one—cheers!

BY DEANN LUBELL

The word ‘remarkable’ barely begins to describe Susan Stein. Susan is widely known for her uncanny sense of style and knowledge of fashion. As the longtime Fashion and Scene Editor for Palm Springs Life Magazine, she has been at the helm of the internationally popular Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Desert for 15 years. Under her guidance, Fashion Week has grown into a major international event and billed as the biggest fashion extravaganzas on the west coast drawing a record-breaking attendance of over 13,500 attendees in 2022.

A few years ago, Susan’s husband, Dick, passed away leaving a huge void in her life. She was encouraged by a good friend to take a painting class to cope with her grief. “I was an art history minor and loved art,” said Susan. “I never thought that I could create anything worthwhile. The moment I put paint on the brush and made a mark on the canvas in that class, I was in heaven. It was freeing and relaxing.”

Susan had once been told by her 7th grade art teacher that she did not have artistic talent. And now, not only does she continue to paint for the joy of it, but her acrylic paintings, to her surprise and delight, are eagerly being purchased by art aficionados. Her first onewoman show held at Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Desert last year was a smashing success selling 19 out of the 25 paintings in one evening. Her

follow up show at Saks Fifth Avenue this past November 2022 was equally successful. She was told by one observer that her brightly colored abstract works-of-art make people happy.

“My style of art is inspired by my work in the fashion industry and all things visually stimulating,” said Susan.

To learn more about Susan Stein and to view a gallery of her art, please go to www. susansteinstyle.com

(Photo of Susan by Jon Abeyta. Photos of her artwork by Susan Stein or Lani Garfield)

PET PL ACE GREAT ANIMALS AT DESERT HOT SPRINGS SHELTER

A lifelong dog lover, Sam did some research and discovered Gatsby is a LongLegged Deer Head Chihuahua. She tells us, “When I arrived at the shelter, I could not believe the beautiful pure breed looking dogs there. I walked past gorgeous German Shepherds, poodles, terriers, and others. The stereotype of mangy mutts in shelters is just not true. I was impressed with how clean and organized the shelter is. There was a man there taking the dogs out for walks. The staff was wonderful.”

The Desert Hot Springs Animal Care and Control shelter opened in 2015, upgrading the same building used many years ago as a shelter. Their City Council realized it was more cost effective to operate their own animal control and shelter than to continue contracting with Riverside County. Animal advocates welcomed the move, which meant keeping the city’s strays closer to home in addition to reducing the huge intakes at the county’s Thousand Palms facility.

BY JANET McAFEE

times a day. We try to encourage pet owners to be responsible and do everything they can to keep their animals”.

Stephanie offers some wise advice, “PLEASE SO SOME RESEARCH ON BREEDS BEFORE YOU ADOPT! PEOPLE ARE ADOPTING HUSKY PUPPIES NOT REALIZING HOW THIS LIVELY BREED JUMP OVER FENCES WHEN THEY GROW UP AND THEY END UP IN SHELTERS.”

The facility welcomes volunteers. Duties include walking dogs, socializing cats, feeding animals, cleaning kennels, and possibly transporting to appointments.

When many working folks want to adopt a pet, they discover most shelters are closed on Sundays.

Many Coachella Valley residents don’t know about a wonderful local shelter tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Desert Hot Springs that is conveniently open 7 days a week. The holidays are over, the guests gone home, and the Christmas tree taken down. Now is the perfect time to adopt a special feline or canine companion in 2023.

My friend Sam Dabir recently contacted me to help her find a small female rescue Chihuahua. I soon spotted an adorable brown Chihuahua on the Desert Hot Springs Animal Shelter’s Facebook page. The 1-yrold pup came into the city’s shelter after a Good Samaritan found her running the streets, thin and exhausted in the heat. She had no microchip and was not spayed. As it is often the case, no owner came looking to claim her. Tragically there are more strays on the streets and relinquishments coming into crowded shelters due to the current economic downturn including people losing

their housing

The little Chihuahua’s sweet face framed in fur stole Sam’s heart. It was love at first sight when they finally locked eyes at the Desert Hot Springs Shelter, and she quickly completed the adoption application. The tiny dog had to be spayed before leaving the shelter, and Sam could hardly wait those few days to take her home.

This little dog has a personality larger than life, befitting her new name Gatsby after the Great Gatsby. Sam tells us, “Gatsby is awesome! She’s my new best friend and we go everywhere together. I showed her all her things when she arrived home, and she was immediately comfortable. I bought a doggie backpack that fits on my chest, and Gatsby comes running to leap inside ready for an outing. Our favorite thing to do is take hour long walks around the golf course and the lake, meeting other people and pups on the way. Gatsby is super playful. She goes into the down position and starts drumming with her front legs and then digs into the blankets and sheets while I copy her.”

Shelter Supervisor Sergeant Stephanie Zamora tells us, “Our goal is to keep stray animals local, work to return them to their families, and work diligently to find a rescue for all adoptable animals without families. Some people have the misconception that when they bring a stray animal here it is euthanized with no effort is made to adopt it. We never euthanize due to lack of space. Veterinary care is provided for sick and injured animals, and only those with extreme medical and dangerous aggression are euthanized here. We have a great area for the cats, and the dogs are walked three

Sam Dabir tells us, “There is no need to pay thousands of dollars to a breeder when so many wonderful dogs are in shelters. I was mind blown by the caliber of dogs at this shelter. My dog Gatsby is so healthy and happy, she brings me joy every day!”

The Desert Hot Springs shelter is located at 65810 Hacienda Avenue in Desert Hot Springs. Their office is open 7 days a week 9:30am to 4:30pm. Contact them at (760) 329-6411, extension 450 or 451. You can view their available animals at www.petango. com/dhsacc. Call to make an appointment to meet the cat or dog you would like to adopt. There is nothing like the grateful heart of a rescue dog or cat who will bring joy to your life in 2023.

Janetmcafee8@gmail.com

MEET

PARKER MEET ROSCOE

Handsome 8-mo-old cudley boy Parker waits for a home in the New Year at the City of Desert Hot Springs Animal shelter. Call 760-329-6411 ext 450 for an appointment to meet him at the shelter, 65810 Hacienda, DHS. He’s cat ID#50691457. www.petango.com/dhsacc

Can you believe this handsome Chocolate Lab Retriever mix boy is at a shelter? 4-yr-old Roscoe waits for a home at the City of Desert Hot Springs Animal Shelter, 65810 Hacienda, DHS. Call 760-329-6411 ext 450 for an appointment to meet him. He’s dog ID#51763185. www. petango.com/dhsacc

COACHELLA VALLEY ANIMAL CAMPUS –Open 10:00-4:00 Monday through Saturday. View animals online at all 4 county shelters www.rcdas.org, 72-050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms, (760) 343-3644. (Public)

PALM SPRINGS ANIMAL SHELTER – Open to the public, closed Tuesday. View animals online at psanimalsshelter.org and complete application for the one you want to meet, 4575 E. Mesquite Ave, Palm Springs, Call (760) 416-5718. (Public)

DESERT HOT SPRINGS ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL – Open daily 9:30-4:30. www. cityofdhs.org/animal-care-control.com, View animals at www.petango.com/dhsacc. 65810 Hacienda Ave, Desert Hot Springs, Call for appointment (760) 329-6411 ext. 450.

ANIMAL SAMARITANS – Open to the public. View their animals at www. animalsamaritans.org. Email volunteer@ animalsamaritans.org to foster or volunteer. Located at 72307 Ramon Rd, Thousand Palms, (760) 601-3918. (Private)

CALIFORNIA PAWS RESCUE - Call for an appointment to adopt. Located at 73650 Dinah Shore, Palm Desert. View their animals at californiapawsrescue.com, (760) 6563833. (Private)

HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY – Fill out an application online www. orphanpet.com and call for an appointment. This shelter has dogs of all sizes and cats, Located at 17825 N. Indian Canyon, Palm Springs, (760) 329-0203. (Private)

KITTYLAND – Open to the public to adopt cats and kittens. Located at 67600 18th Avenue, Desert Hot Springs, www. kittylandrescue.org, (760) 251-2700. (Private)

PRETTY GOOD CAT – Foster based rescue for cats located in La Quinta. Contact them at prettygoodcat.com, (760) 660-3414 (Private)

LOVING ALL ANIMALS – Call for appointment to adopt dogs. Located at 83496 Avenue 51, Coachella, lovingallanimals.org, (760) 834-7000. (Private)

ANIMAL RESCUE CENTER OF CALIFORNIA

– Foster based rescue for dogs and cats in Indio. thearc-ca.org, (760) 877-7077 (Private)

FLUFFS & SCRUFFS – Foster based rescue for small dogs in Cathedral City. FLUFFSANDSCRUFFS@AOL.COM, (310) 9803383 (Private)

SOCIETY’S OUTKAST ANIMAL RESCUE

– Foster based rescue for dogs in Rancho Mirage, www.societysoutkasts.com, (760) 832-0617. (Private)

LIVING FREE ANIMAL SANCTUARY –Large outdoor shelter for dogs and cats up Hwy 74, Mountain Center, living-free.org, (951) 659-4687. (Private)

CITY OF BANNING ANIMAL SHELTER –Open daily 10am-6pm. Located at 2050 E. Charles St, Banning. Many beautiful animals of all sizes. View animals at arerescue.org/ banning. (951) 708-1280 Short staffed so don’t always answer phones. (Public)

CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO ANIMAL SHELTER – Open 12:00 – 3pm Tues through Sat. Google “City of San Bernardino Animal Shelter” for website to view animals and get ID number of the animal you want. Located at 333 Chandler Place, San Bernardino, (909) 384-1304 or (909) 384-7272. (Public)

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER AT DEVORE – Open 7 days a week. Call (909) 386-9280, www.sbcounty.gov/acc and get the ID number of animal you are interested in adopting, 19777 Shelter Way, San Bernardino (Public).

Here are some places where you can adopt a wonderful rescue dog or cat!

BY DANIEL PARIS

It’s that time of year. Sports fans during the last Super Bowl (LVI) consumed 1.5 billion chicken wings. Wings taste better when you are at a bar surrounded by big screens and noisy fans cheering and jeering their sports teams. Favorite brews enhance the experience. So where do I find the best wings? I tried three local restaurants that are not franchises and do not have wings in their name.

Aqua Caliente 360 Sports Bar in Rancho Mirage serves their wings with a choice of habanero, buffalo, or dry rub options with the requisite celery and carrot sticks and either ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce. The wings are separated into flats and drumettes and are crispy with light breading. They are

KEGWHISPERER

medium-sized and juicy. A classic wing.

Tony’s in Cathedral City, known for their burgers was my next stop. I ordered them with buffalo sauce. The wings were very crispy, but a little dry on the interior. They served the wings with celery, carrots, and cucumber with your choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Babe’s Bar-B-Que was my final stop. They are known for their pit-smoked ribs, brisket, and pulled pork as well as their inhouse brewery. They are also known for their smoked chicken wings. The light smoke added a depth of flavor missing in the other wings I sampled. They were flash deep-fried to crispy perfection. The wings were very meaty and sauced with a sweet/spicy buffalo sauce. This

was the best of the three.

Wings are a relatively new invention. The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y, introduced the snack in 1964. Wings were routinely discarded

I’m of the belief that every beer weaves a tale totally unique to both the consumer and the brewer alike. The alcoholic nature of our craft assists beer in forming a deeper bond with the purchaser, while the wide-open nature of brewing ingredients assures brewers that,much like snowflakes, no two beers are exactly alike. In reality, handing two brewers from different breweries the exact same recipe and the exact same ingredients will do little to assure that the resulting brews will taste exactly the same.

Like music, beer makes a strong personal and intimate connection with folks of all walks of life. It has the innate ability to transport us to a different time and/or a place while

flooding the user with vivid memories. Many people experience Kona Brewing products while in Hawai’i and continue to purchase Longboard Lager long after returning home because the flavor reminds them of the island aura they experienced.

Think back to days gone by; in elementary school, we first learned how to write a story. We were taught that every good story included a beginning which included introductions to the characters and the plot. During the middle, or body of the story, the plot continues to develop and the tale becomes more interesting to the reader. The finale of the story could take one of several turns. It could be a total surprise, the narrator could wake up from a dream, or,

best case scenario…result in a happy ending.

Much to the surprise of many, beer tells its story much the same way. Beer separates its story into three very distinct segments as well. The beginning is referred to as the entry, the body is referred to as midtaste and the ending is termed the finish. Every taste of beer tells this story, although the tale may change as the temperature of the brew rises. This is true of all beers, but easiest to identify in darker, malt-forward beers such as Porter and Stout. Let us take these three distinct subdivisions separately.

Entry is as straightforward as it sounds. As beer hits our mouth, we begin subconsciously become as judgmental as Lindsey Lohan in Mean Girls. Every characteristic of entry is subject to a quick evaluation. Is it cold enough? Too Cold? Too warm? How does the tip of the tongue react to the carbonation? Is it really zippy? Moderately bubbly? Simply flat? The closer you get to the tip of tongue, the better job it does of detecting sweetness. How sweet is it? Cotton candy? Bubble gum? Fresh apple? Lettuce? Black coffee? As you can see, we have many reference points for sweetness as the above list doesn’t even begin to describe the tip of the iceberg.

Immediately after entry, liquid quickly passes to the middle of the tongue and into the heart of the palate. We appraise the beer at this stage as well. Does it dance lightly across the tongue, simply lay there lifelessly, or something in between? Does the carbonation light up the insides of the cheeks? Bigger tastes and combinations of flavors become more prominent during this period. Whoa, both banana and cloves are prominent in this hefeweizen? Your

BY BREWMASTER ED HEETHUIS

Budweiser reminds you of little green apples? That British ESB seems to evoke the taste of butterscotch?

As we quickly approach the finish, the beer does its best to leave a lasting impression. Unlike wine, to be properly tasted and not wasted, the beer must be swallowed. Our tongue extends a good couple of inches down our esophagus, and that is where the most sensitive of our bitter receptors reside. This part of the palate gives us our final, lasting impression of the beer and wraps up the story. Here we receive clues as to the absolute bitterness of the brew, how full or thin the body is and the swallow should set us up nicely for the next taste.

So…that’s the story every beer tells. Next time you pop a cap or open a can, think about the story that your beer is telling you. Take a moment to look for the entry, midtaste, and the finish. Every great brewer takes all of this (and more) into account when writing a recipe as they are literally painting an illustration to their story on your palate. The good news is that you get to form your own opinion of that picture and their story, and you can’t be wrong.

When Ed Heethuis isn’t brewing for 29 Brews, you will find the Certified Cicerone / Brewmaster out on his road bike, too focused on the Firebirds, or talking beer with the patrons at Taproom 29. He may be reached at: heethuis.ed@gmail.com or wherever beer may be found in the wild.

or used for stock. The owner dropped a few in the deep fryer to satisfy late-night munchies and the craze gained instant momentum without the benefit of the internet.

MARKET RECAP

The stock market had its worst year since 2008 as the Federal Reserve began increasing interest rates to combat inflation. The combination of quickly increasing interest rates and higher prices for most things in life is beginning to suppress demand. Of all developed countries, the United States has weathered tightening monetary policies and inflation better than most. Higher interest rates are an indirect way to reduce demand although its full impact is felt many months later. This lagging effect is why most economists and forecasters believe that the economy will enter a mild recession in 2023. If demand declines by enough to mute inflation, the Federal Reserve and Central Banks around the world will be able to avoid further rate increases and avoid a deeper recession. As there has been more demand than supply in many areas of the world’s economy, we need to be prepared for rates to stay higher for longer than many currently anticipate.

As China relaxes its zero-COVID policy, we will need to see if their economy returns to its full production capacity. With a lingering real estate crisis in China that is reminiscent of our mortgage crisis of fifteen years ago, their economy looks more fragile than it has for decades. Add to that an exodus of manufacturing by Western-based companies to more reliable production centers and the Chinese economy is expected to struggle in 2023.

The market has reacted to slowing

economies by reducing the valuations of growth companies the most. Some of the most highly valued companies have fallen the most with Tesla and Meta down by twothirds and Amazon down by one-half. Google is off by 40%, Microsoft by nearly 30% and Apple down by one-quarter.

Due to the Russian war with Ukraine, global energy supplies were disrupted. This led to the increase in value-oriented stocks like Exxon-Mobil (+87%), ConocoPhilips (+71%) and Chevron (58%).

Technology stocks had a miserable year, down 32%. Even stalwarts like Microsoft (-28%) and Apple (-26%) put up disappointing results.

When the Federal Reserve pivoted from a highly accommodative policy to a quickly restrictive policy in mere months, the basic assumptions used to figure out the price of

a stock or your house changed. With higher interest rates along with inflation, the value of assets changed. As it relates to the purchase of a home, more money services debt meaning that the borrower cannot afford as much house as when rates were lower. The same principle applies to the value of a company’s stock. When interest rates were at some of the lowest levels in the history of the world, corporations had essentially free access to capital. By returning to a more normalized level for interest rates, companies with poor cashflows are expected to struggle under the weight of more expensive debt, higher costs and slowing demand.

Looking at 2023, the consensus opinion is that company valuations will fall as lower earnings are reported. This will lead to peak pessimism followed by a more reasonable view of company valuations. In English, this

BY HADDON LIBBY

means that stocks may fall over the first half of the year. So long as inflation appears to be coming under control, the peak of the recession should come toward the end of the year. If this scenario plays out, stocks can expect to see values higher by year-end than they are today.

The biggest unknowns that make forecasting so difficult is the fallout from the Russian war, reopening of China and the impact of inflation. With higher costs to borrow, some companies and countries may face liquidity challenges in the New Year.

With bank certificates of deposit and US Treasuries paying 4% for 90 days, investors have a safe alternative to equities that pays a fair return.

Haddon Libby is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Winslow Drake Investment Management. This article is not intended to serve as investment advice. If you want investment advice, contact a Registered Investment Advisor or contact us at www. WinslowDrake.com.

We all know that rain means the roads will be slippery and auto accidents will follow. If you were in an accident over the holidays, there are 12 keys to increasing the value of your accident claim. These will allow you to be fairly compensated by the at faults parties insurance company. Put this information in a safe place.

Stop, take pictures and gather info at the scene: California law requires everyone in an auto accident to stop and exchange information. Cell phone pictures of both cars and all occupants will help to establish causation and the severity of the accident. Get cell videos and statements from all parties and witnesses, before they talk to their insurance company or lawyer and revise what happened. I can’t stress how important this is!

Call the police, even when there are no apparent injuries: The police report will provide information on all parties, witnesses and liability showing who was at fault. You are not a lawyer or doctor, so don’t admit fault or say you were not injured.

Do NOT give a statement: A statement is evidence so get your lawyers permission first. If the other driver is uninsured or lacks adequate insurance, then your insurance company will pay under YOUR OWN UM policy. However, they will defend as if they are the insurance company for the other driver. REMEMBER SILENCE IS GOLDEN AND HANDCUFFS ARE SILVER. Don’t expose yourself to liability by saying something or having them THINK they

heard you say something you didn’t say!

TAKE DOWN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA: Insurance companies watch your Facebook, Twitter and social media posts which may show you playing sports, talking about the accident or on a vacation. These arguably suggest you are OK or not getting medical treatment. In addition though you told the doctor you could not sit for long you did for the trip and you were able to lift luggage etc.

Get medical treatment asap: Many Victims do not realize the severity of their injury and do not seek immediate treatment. Later, they realize the pain they are experiencing is accident related. Some victims do not take an ambulance because they have to pick up their kids or because they are concerned about the hospital and ambulance costs. Absent immediate medical treatment, insurance companies argue if the victim was really injured they would have sought immediate medical treatment.

Do NOT give your medical providers medical insurance /Medicare /Medicaid information: Once Medicare/Medi-Cal is notified it takes 6-12 months to get them to respond to lien payment information...without which the case will not be settled. New laws now control what bills can be presented to the jury as out of pocket costs for which the client is responsible.

Contact a Lawyer immediately: If not represented, the insurance company can contact you and get a statement. Your lawyer

will never know what you said or “what the adjuster/investigator thought he heard you say”.

Your lawyer will get you medical care on a lien: Many doctors don’t know how to prepare a med/legal report which is essential for obtaining the full value of your case. For years, I lectured on How to Write a Medical/ Legal Report to the International College of Surgeons at their yearly conferences. The doctor’s report is almost as important as the injuries the doctor wrote down.

Physical Therapy: A family doctor often suggests you go home, take a hot bath and aspirin and then return in a month. Lawyers should urge clients to list all injuries from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet… and to take that to each doctor’s appointment.

Use your lawyer’s body shop: Insurance companies recommend body shops with whom they have a working relationship and who agree to keep the damage estimates low. When settling the case, the adjuster argues that since the PD was low, how could you be injured. The last thing a lawyer wants is for his client to get his friend to fix the car cheaply.

Purchase high insurance limits: Unfortunately, many CV neighbors have no insurance or inadequate limits. If so, we make an uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage claim with your carrier. Thus YOUR limits are important.

Purchase Medical Payments coverage:

Irrespective of fault, you can present a claim under the med pay section of your policy to pay your medical bills.

Follow your lawyers’ instructions: Agree to go to trial when necessary to maximize the value of your case.

Do not sign anything: It could be a release or authorization to obtain your medical records. Do not trust the adjuster who says “if you have further problems they will take care of it”.

My practice is focused on people and protecting their consumer rights. We deliver results, not false promises, and get top dollar on our cases. When the case is successfully concluded, our clients tell us we were courteous, professional and caring and that we “DID TURN WRONGS INTO RIGHTS”.

DALE GRIBOW - Representing the Injured and Criminally accused

“TOP LAWYER” - California’s Prestige Magazine, Palm Springs Life (PI/DUI) 2011-23

“TOP LAWYER” - Inland Empire Magazine

PERFECT 10.0 AVVO 5 STAR Peer Rating

“Preeminent” Rating - Martindale Hubbell Legal Directory

DON’T DRINK & DRIVE OR TEXT & GET IN AN ACCIDENT, CALL A TAXI OR UBER……IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN CALLING ME!

For questions or suggestions for future columns contact dale@dalegribowlaw.com or 760-837-7500.

The more we stride toward the future, the more we become aware of the importance of self-sustainable living. However, while discussing self-sustainable living we cannot deny that although we are looking to the future, we must likewise turn our gaze to the past and learn more about the self-sustainable habitats of our ancestors. The Biblical statement derived from the book of Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun”, blossoms to mind. “Nothing new”, as societally cliché as it may be, most accurately describes the catalyst that permeates throughout our subject matter.

According to proposed historic account, society’s evolution has occurred over many millennia. In each epoch, humans sought to tame and improve habitats in which they dwelt. Be it to keep warm, forgo starvation, and/or to protect family from naturally harsh elements. The familiar pattern is as prevalent during prehistoric times as it is today. Nothing has changed, therefore, “nothing is new under the sun”. The only distinguishable characteristic that has altered from pastto-present is the technology and tools we implement. These “tools” have undeniably been further defined and redefined overtime so that their mechanical operation has become more efficient and streamlined. Yet still, “there is nothing new under the sun”. What we observe, use, and discard today is

SAFETYTIPS

t’s

We have several storms in the forecast and we certainly need all the rain we can get. We all like singing in the rain but driving in it? Driving is stressful enough even when it’s not raining says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.

Most people are not paying attention or exercising common sense much anymore. We have far too many distractions at our disposal. There are over 707,000 automobile crashes each year due to rain, resulting in approximately 3,300 deaths and 330,200 injuries.

Driving in the rain doesn’t have to be an added stressful experience. First and foremost –Think! “Many people drive subconsciously, like on autopilot,” says Chief DiGiovanna. Make sure your habits are good ones. “When it rains, we often don’t adjust our thinking.”

the same as it was millennia ago.

This all then begs considerably profound questions, and questions we as humans possessing thoughts, dreams, and emotions, are required to ask of ourselves: “Why have we allowed ourselves to become so dependent? Why is our level of selfsustainability at present so subpar?”

Modern society purportedly enjoys a wellorganized, yet vastly and damaging order - to a supposedly tamed chaos. Consider this: There are seven days in one week. Society deems that five of these seven days are portioned for work, and that we should work forty hours per week. Typically, the hours of 7:00 to 8 :00 a.m. are categorized as time for breakfast. Noon to 1:00 p.m. is time for lunch, and 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. is classed as time for dinner. When we work, we are paid a salary.

That salary then gets paid to the 130-year-old and aging electrical grid, the water company, the banks [for mortgages], rent to landlords, for food at the grocery store, gas at the gas station, car payment, and so on and so forth. Correct me if I am wrong, but this supposed order, although appearing to be organized at face-value, does not in any way suggest that those who apply said regime are living any form of a self-sustainable existence whatsoever. It’s in fact quite the contrary.

Our distant ancestors, for example, Native Americans. Native Americans lived

from the land and cultivated their own communities and existences. They were highly independent, albeit, “self-sustained”. I am almost certain that the now ancient Native American communities never paid bills at the beginning of every month for a mortgage, energy, or food. Perhaps, they paid something to someone along the way – if there was a local tyrant “. But I digress. The reality is that our ancestors of not even three-hundred years ago were self-sustained. They were independent, thrived, and they enjoyed a more contented life due to said self-sustainability.

The Industrial Revolution was the beginning of our lack of self-sustainability.

There are very few things in life more gratifying than planting, harvesting, and consuming your own organic produce. Perhaps you’ve never had the opportunity. Perhaps you recall planting and watching a tomato plant grow as a school project. If you do, then you possess the memory and skill set necessary to replicate its procedure. If you haven’t ever harvested your own crop, it’s never too late to learn how.

Now more than ever with skyrocketing global inflation, jobs, and other natural resources depleting daily it’s a great time to take control and truly become the human you were made and “built” to be. And if you are disabled in any way – you are not precluded from enjoying this basic of human rights. If our modern world has afforded us anything of value, it’s advancement in technology and gadgets and gizmos that assist us with various DIY tasks. If not, there is always someone somewhere, programs in your local community whom you can ask for assistance.

Self-sustainability begins with a realization – Society’s controlled order of work, taxes, utility bills, freeways, highways, byways, and even the way our modern homes and buildings are designed are utterly “unsustainable”.

“Not everyone is a self-starter” - so you have been told over and over until the status quo has enabled you to believe that statement so much that you might find yourself using it as a crutch. If everyone believes that they are not a self-starter and cannot be self-sufficient then everyone will

LET IT RAIN!

Drivers need to stay alert and focused. Turn on those headlights. It’s the law in all states to turn headlights on when visibility is low, and many states also require having the headlights on when the windshield wipers are in use. Make sure your wipers are working well.

Good tires, brakes and distance are also ‘must-haves’ when driving in rain. Beware of hydroplaning. That’s the technical term for what occurs when your tires are getting more traction on the layer of water on the road than on the road itself - the result is that your car begins to slide uncontrollably. If you start to hydroplane, let off the accelerator slowly and steer straight until you regain control.

Speed limit signs are designed for ideal conditions, “and that means driving when you have little traffic and good visibility.” That’s hardly the environment you’re driving in when it’s raining, so let up on the

accelerator and allow more time to get to your destination.

Cell phone and texting? Don’t even think about! Drive Safely!

BY TIAR’A LITERARY & ILLUSTRATION

follow along blindly and there is no such thing as “originality” or “game changers”. I want to take a moment to emphatically dispute the “not everyone is a self-starter” statement by saying: Everyone is organically born a selfstarter. We all possess self-thought, correct? We are all distinctly different. There is only one of me, and only one of you, and there will never ever be another one of either of us for as long as there is existence.

When a self-sustainable mindset meets construction and design the result is a physical alteration to environment and independence that yields generational satisfaction.

Aside from conceptualizing, constructing, and remodeling mainstream construction, Gee-Ar-Gee Construction Company has embarked upon a mission to create selfsustainable environments. Our first project, slated to be complete by late 2023 to early 2024, is a vast five-acre plateau nestled amidst the gorgeous Joshua Tree Valley. The compound will include solar energy, vegetable and fruit gardens, and other wonderful accoutrements of a selfsustainable environment. As we progress with the compounds construction, we will upload photographs to our website. The Joshua Tree compound will be available for purchase as are its design and build.

If you or someone you know are keen to make the switch to a selfsustainable environment, need its design and construction, or require any other form of construction or remodel, contact Gee-Ar-Gee Construction Company at: (760) 318-2490

Tiar’a Literary & Illustration is a privately owned Coachella Valley content creation and marketing company that produces engaging and informative content for individuals and business in the form of promotion, marketing, books, advertorials, blogs, articles, product description, publicity, and media commercials. Email us your business inquiry today at: tiarapublications@gmail.com. Call 310.467.1117

“Creating content for individuals and businesses worldwide”

BY FIRE CHIEF SAM DIGIOVANNA

BY AIMEE MOSCO

IN WITH THE NEW

“[Gratitude

forgiveness]

complete

Speaking from Our Hearts –Volume 9 – Forgiveness & Gratitude, by Paul Lowe and co-authors across the globe, page 3 – quote from Aimee Mosco.

The most effective way to bring in the new is to settle the old unfavorable energies in your heart and mind so that energy no longer hangs over you. If you do not do this, the old unfavorable vibrations continue to taint whatever new you are trying to create. Of course, it is easier said than done to detach from something that has held your heart and mind hostage unless you shift your perspective.

Something to keep in mind is this; you are always in charge. You have full control of the perspective you choose to exercise. If unfavorable memories, emotions, and thoughts from your past crop up to derail your best laid plans, you have all the power to settle them by looking at them differently. In fact, your soul expects you to recognize your power and do this.

One way to lay sabotaging forces to rest is to identify what it is you learned from the experience that birthed them. When you are able to acknowledge the growth you achieved, the past experience becomes something to your inner self for which to be grateful, even if you judge that experience as “bad”.

Even just a sliver of gratitude generated in this authentic way from a new perspective leads you to the doorway of forgiveness. If you

choose to open that door and walk through, what you will find on the other side is a priceless gift. Forgiveness is your freedom. Forgiveness allows you to connect with emotions that feed your soul. Forgiveness assists you in crafting a new mindset that nurtures your creativity. Forgiveness helps you to close old doors and open new ones.

Whenever your intent is to invite something new into your life, whether it is a new year, new circumstances, a new project, or a new age, remember to position yourself with a perspective that sets you free from the old energies which limit your creativity. Make room for love, the most powerful creative energy that exists, to fuel your creations. Find something for which to be grateful in any force that pulls you into darkness and then take the next step. Embrace forgiveness and close the door tight behind you. Out with the old and in with the new.

In my pursuit to help you to connect with gratitude and forgiveness in the most intentional way, I invite you to join my Facebook group SACRED Light Code Keys. Go to facebook.com/groups/621727488898099 and enjoy the light of this supportive community.

Aimee Mosco is an Author, Intuitive Channel, Spiritual Teacher and Co-Founder of Intentional Healing Systems, LLC. Aimee’s desire to help others inspired her first book “Gratitude + Forgiveness x (LOVE) = Happiness”.

Aimee serves as Vice Chair to the World Game Changers Board of Directors, a charitable CIC based in the UK. Find Aimee’s Channeling page on Facebook with @ihsaimeemosco or visit Aimee at www.ihsunity.com

FREEWILLASTROLOGY

WEEK OF JANUARY 5

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “My life was the best omelet you could make with a chainsaw,” observed flamboyant author Thomas McGuane. That’s a witty way to encapsulate his tumultuous destiny. There have been a few moments in 2022 when you might have been tempted to invoke a similar metaphor about your own evolving story. But the good news is that your most recent chainsaw-made omelet is finished and ready to eat. I think you’ll find its taste is savory. And I believe it will nourish you for a long time. (Soon it will be time to start your next omelet, maybe without using the chainsaw this time!)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After meticulous research of 2023’s astrological omens, I have come to a radical conclusion: You should tell the people who care for you that you’d like to be called by new pet names. I think you need to intensify their ability and willingness to view you as a sublime creature worthy of adoration. I don’t necessarily recommend you use old standbys like “cutie,” “honey,” “darling,” or “angel.” I’m more in favor of unique and charismatic versions, something like “Jubilee” or “Zestie” or “Fantasmo” or “YowieWowie.” Have fun coming up with pet names that you are very fond of. The more, the better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): If I could choose some fun and useful projects for you to master in 2023, they would include the following: 1. Be in constant competition with yourself to outdo past accomplishments. But at the same time, be extra compassionate toward yourself. 2. Borrow and steal other people’s good ideas and use them with even better results than they would use them. 3. Acquire an emerald or two, or wear jewelry that features emeralds. 4. Increase your awareness of and appreciation for birds. 5. Don’t be attracted to folks who aren’t good for you just because they are unusual or interesting. 6. Upgrade your flirting so it’s even more nuanced and amusing, while at the same time you make sure it never violates anyone’s boundaries.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When she was young, Carolyn Forché was a conventional poet focused on family and childhood. But she transformed. Relocating to El Salvador during its civil war, she began to write about political trauma. Next, she lived in Lebanon during its civil war. She witnessed firsthand the tribulations of military violence and the imprisonment of activists. Her creative work increasingly illuminated questions of social justice. At age 72, she is now a renowned human rights advocate. In bringing her to your attention, I don’t mean to suggest that you engage in an equally dramatic self-reinvention. But in 2023, I do recommend drawing on her as an inspirational role model. You will have great potential to discover deeper aspects of your life’s purpose—and enhance your understanding of how to offer your best gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are the characters in Carlos Castañeda’s books on shamanism fictional or real? It doesn’t matter to me. I love the wisdom of his alleged teacher, Don Juan Matus. He said, “Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use.” Don Juan’s advice is perfect for you in the coming nine months, Leo. I hope you will tape a copy of his words on your bathroom mirror and read it at least once a week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Teacher and author Byron Katie claims, “The voice within is what I’m married to. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from.” I happen to know that she has also been married for many years to a writer named Stephen Mitchell. So she has no problem being wed to both Mitchell and her inner voice. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to propose marriage to your own inner voice. The coming year will be a fabulous time to deepen your relationship with this crucial source of useful and sacred revelation

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libran philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche offered advice that is perfect

for you in 2023. It’s strenuous. It’s demanding and daunting. If you take it to heart, you will have to perform little miracles you may not yet have the confidence to try. But I have faith in you, Libra. That’s why I don’t hesitate to provide you with Nietzsche’s rant: “No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless trails and bridges and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and forgoing yourself. There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How might you transform the effects of the limitations you’ve been dealing with? What could you do to make it work in your favor as 2023 unfolds? I encourage you to think about these question with daring and audacity. The more moxie you summon, the greater your luck will be in making the magic happen. Here’s another riddle to wrestle with: What surrender or sacrifice could you initiate that might lead in unforeseen ways to a plucky breakthrough? I have a sense that’s what will transpire as you weave your way through the coming months in quest of surprising opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian singer Tina Turner confided, “My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” I hope you will experiment with that formula in 2023. I believe the coming months will potentially be a time when you will be happier with yourself than you have ever been before—more at peace with your unique destiny, more accepting of your unripe qualities, more in love with your depths, and more committed to treating yourself with utmost care and respect. Therefore, if Tina Turner is accurate, 2023 will also be a year when your beauty will be ascendant.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I’m homesick all the time,” writes author Sarah Addison Allen. “I just don’t know where home is. There’s this promise of happiness out there. I know it. I even feel it sometimes. But it’s like chasing the moon. Just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon.” If you have ever felt pangs like hers, Capricorn, I predict they will fade in 2023. That’s because I expect you will clearly identify the feeling of home you want—and thereby make it possible to find and create the place, the land, and the community where you will experience a resounding peace and stability.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Storyteller Michael Meade tells us, “The ship is always off course. Anybody who sails knows that. Sailing is being off-course and correcting. That gives a sense of what life is about.” I interpret Meade’s words to mean that we are never in a perfect groove heading directly towards our goal. We are constantly deviating from the path we might wish we could follow with unfailing accuracy. That’s not a bug in the system; it’s a feature. And as long as we obsess on the idea that we’re not where we should be, we are distracted from doing our real work. And the real work? The ceaseless corrections. I hope you will regard what I’m saying here as one of your core meditations in 2023, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A Chinese proverb tells us, “Great souls have wills. Feeble souls have wishes.” I guess that’s true in an abstract way. But in practical terms, most of us are a mix of both great and feeble. We have a modicum of willpower and a bundle of wishes. In 2023, though, you Pisceans could make dramatic moves to strengthen your willpower as you shed wimpy wishes. In my psychic vision of your destiny, I see you feeding metaphorical iron supplements to your resolve and determination.

Homework: Visualize in intricate detail a breakthrough you would like to experience by July 2023. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

Rob

Brezsny - Free Will Astrology freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

© Copyright 2022-23 Rob Brezsny

and

hold the keys that unlock your heart and let the divine power of love flow through you with

freedom.”

A 2022 REVIEW ABOUT CANNABIS

What is Cannabis? The pharmacological term for Marijuana is Tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabivarin or (THC.) THC is the principle psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, and it’s derived from the 113 cannabinoids of the cannabis plant. The chemical formula for THC is (C21H30O2) and this psychoactive isomer is referred as Delta-9-THC. However, from this psychoactive plant comes another cannabinoid discovered in 1940 that has no psychoactive side effect which is CBD.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a Phyto cannabinoid which accounts for 40% of the cannabis plants extract. CBD is a part of the plant that doesn’t have the psychoactive side effects, which can be just as healing as THC; yet, if someone chooses not to use or ingest THC. In 2019, CBD resulted in studies related to anxiety, depression, gross motor movements, and other mood disorders, that resulted in mild to no side effects on the user. Today the research on many of the cannabinoid’s products derived from the cannabis medicine plant; are used to help with epilepsy, chronic pain, nausea from chemotherapy, depression, insomnia, restless legs, and neurofibromatosis. The plants medicinal uses have been so beneficial for adults that now science is developing milder forms for children who have epilepsy, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD, and other childhood disorders that are chronic.

Endocannabinoid System & the Human Body: The endocannabinoid system contains CB1 and CB2 that function as a medicine for the body when taken for most targeted ailments. When CBD is consumed or smoked or ingested into the body, the power of the cannabinoid enters the brain, and it has been found by the International Research Institute of (New York City), that the ECS system regenerates the brain to function within the brains cells and productive neurons. However, the 90’s

discovery of ECS and its unique roll and synergy with the human body wasn’t something new; it has also been mentioned in ancient Sanskrit that the first endocannabinoid is called Ananda or bliss Mother Earth in all her plant medicines has a deeprooted connection to the human body.

These lipid-based retrograde neurotransmitters that attach to the cannabinoid receptors are endogenous; meaning that its biological system contributes to the human cell receptors proteins throughout the vertebrate and the whole central nervous system including the peripheral nervous system. This is not only prevalent in humans but in animals as well, therefore the endocannabinoid system predates the marijuana plant on this live planet over two million years with other vital life systems on Earth.

Migraines: Migraines can be one of the most debilitating headaches that a person can endure. As a migraine sufferer it can almost seem impossible to recover from the excruciating head pain. From the nausea to the throbbing of the temples, the sensitivity to any light, the sensitivity to sound, especially loud music, and bodily fatigue that comes from all the pain.

About 40 million Americans report suffering from migraines as a regular health concern and over one billion people around the world report having migraines as a common health problem. The migraine headache is no ordinary common head

cold, but it’s a neurological disease that affects the brains neurotransmitters. However, many health care providers believe that these estimated numbers of migraine sufferers are low, and that there are roughly many people who go unreported and undiagnosed with neurological head pain. However, Science is turning to the cannabis plant to help consumers find pain relief.

Cannabis History: Scythians (Persian Farmers) Leaving its Cannabis Mark in Eastern Europe: In the fifth and sixth centuries, Russian and Polish farmers consumed hemp for health benefits. They created herbal teas and used the seeds in their breads. In the Middle Ages the Russian word for hemp was penka and was commonly brewed as a tea. During the Czar Empire in the 15th centuryhemp and cannabis were used in Christmas soups, cakes, and stews believing; like A Christmas Carol; that the medicine plant opened a spiritual veil allowing them to see their departed loved ones.

Hemps seeds and hemp oils were a staple in the lower and upper classes in Russia and Poland. Until the 20th century hemp was an important export for Russia, and the United States, however in the 1930’s demand for the crop stopped as American Prohibitionists pressured the world to stop the consumption of cannabis and other medicine plants. However, today the medicine has come back from the veil of our historical connection and in full circle to bring back its healing properties to those that resonate with its benefits. Cannabis, CBD, Hemp- historically and scientifically is cultivating its healing properties back to the world.

CRISPR: Clustered- Regularly- InterspacedShort- Palindromic- Repeats

CRISPR is an accurate genetic modification technique that can cut the DNA sequences that creates genes. In such a way that the genes will determine traits of the cannabis plant (such as leaf color, the synthesis of THC or CBD, and its

BY M. WHEELZOT, M.A.S.

cannabidiol compounds.) The Crisper technique can now modify or eliminate many of an organism’s DNA components. The outcome or plant creation in a cannabis plant can be custom designed with exact precision. What does this all mean for the medicine plant? What the Crispr techniques can do is design a plant to grow, taste, smell, and enhance the cannabidiol DNA in hundreds of different effects when consumed by the human body.

In research laboratories, scientists repeatedly use CRISPR to tailor genes in plants, bacteria, and animal models. Scientist can remove a particular gene in lab mice, like disease and other debilitating pathogens like all living organisms that grow and develop. Researchers can directly witness what traits or behaviors are affected. A large amount of gene therapy and gene modifications in the controlled laboratories have been conducted for decades because CRISPR is faster, cheaper, and more reliable. Therefore, now with the prevalent recognition of medical marijuana, large agribusinesses are getting the chance to create a major crop cash for consumers. That is why it’s so important that any consumption of the medicine plant should be researched on the purity and testing of cannabis products.

Its important that we review all that we have learned about CBD, Cannabis, and to remember the healing power of a complex plant, that has a long historical account, and how this plant is used for medicinal purposes.

Wishing Everyone “A Happy and Healthy 2023!”

Remember when using any cannabis medicine please consult with your health care provider.