Our dear friend and idol Linda Gerard is currently in the process of kicking cancer’s ass. We are throwing a benefit with some friends to pitch in next Monday night, March 25 at Ace Palm Springs — if you’re within an eight hour radius, you will definitely not regret coming. Proceeds from the bar, rooms and her record Fabulous Selections will go to show Linda the love and support she has from here to the moon from her fans and family. You can also buy her record on our shop to show your support. Here’s a note from Linda to you:

TO MY ACE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT. I LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING TO THE ACE VERY SOON. I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO RID MY BODY OF THE M0NSTERS INSIDE ME AND ONCE AGAIN JOIN YOU IN KING’S HIGHWAY, OUTSIDE ON THE PATIO, THE AMIGO ROOM OR WHEREVER YOU ARE AT THE ACE… I WILL WEAR MY GIANT GLASSES, SING LOTS OF SONGS AND EVEN PLAY SOME FUCKING BINGO ON MONDAY NIGHTS. I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU ON THE 25TH. AND AGAIN THANK YOU. THIS WILL BE A CELEBRATION FOR ALL OF US.

OODLES OF LOVE AND HUGS,

LINDA

We love you too, Linda.

Photo of Linda in the Commune by Max Wanger

Today marks the two year anniversary of Japan’s Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, March 11, 2011. Areas hardest hit are still struggling to repair, rebuild and heal. Remember our human family in Japan and reach out to help. You can donate directly to The Real Medicine Foundation, or pick up a shirt by Kenzo Minami on our shop — 100% of proceeds go to support and relief efforts. Kenzo says this about the shirt’s message:

“It is about ‘Re:’ in terms of ‘Reply’ — our reply to the tsunami and our response to Japan (which is this charity itself and collectively to help the world and give on a larger scale). Also, Japan will need a lot of ‘Re____’ from now on: ‘Rebuild,’ ‘Restart,’ ‘Reboot,’ ‘Recharge’ and more.”

In 1970, President Richard Nixon was scheduled at an American Legion convention in Portland, Oregon, in order to promote the continuation of the Vietnam War. A Portland-based anti-Vietnam War group, called the People’s Army Jamboree, planned a series of demonstrations to be held at the same time as the convention. Law enforcement, expecting massive numbers of protesters on both sides, were concerned about large-scale violence—an FBI report estimated a potential crowd of 25,000 Legionnaires and 50,000 anti-war protestors, and suggested that the result could be worse than the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

In order to keep the peace, Republican Oregon Governor Tom McCall made an agreement with representatives of local anti-war factions to permit a rock festival to be held in a state park at the same time as Nixon’s scheduled visit, and to turn a blind eye toward behavior that had been widespread at the Woodstock Festival, like nudity and use of marijuana. McCall has been heard to remark that by making this agreement—less than three months before the upcoming November vote, in which he was running for re-election—he had “committed political suicide.” The festival was often called “The Governor’s Pot Party” by many Oregonians. McCall won re-election that November, defeating opponent Robert W. Straub handily.

- Mike Meacham, barefooted attendee of Vortex I

Our neighbor in Portland, the Dill Pickle Club —- Oregon’s most esteemed grassroots cultural history crew — is creating a comic about this strange and hardly believable tale of a Republican Governor, a bunch of hippies and the complicated sculpting of Oregon’s liberal reputation. The comic will be distributed for free at Tom McCall’s 100th birthday party in Portland this spring — help make it happen on their Kickstarter.

Evan, 10 years old, saves up his allowance all year and donates it en totale to City Kitties, a shelterless rescue collective for stray cats in West Philadelphia. We do, we do like your cursive, Evan.

Dear mother nature. We really love you — it’s an unabashed, corny kind of love. We are in it for life. And we know that, as a species, we’ve been and continue to be a dense band of jackasses regarding your health. We ask, however, that you might take it a little easy on fair Gotham for a bit. They’ve taken a harsh blow. They walk everywhere and ride the train more than any other city in the nation — they really are trying. For now, we’ve made a poster, postcard and tote bag to help out. 100% of proceeds go to New York Cares to aid them in their Hurricane Sandy relief efforts — because it’s really one borough and we’re all in this together. Tally ho!

Stills from Blancanieves, a silent, monochromatic re-invention of the Grimm fairytale Snow White by director Pablo Berger. The film is set in 1920s Spain and brings to life a gored matador, a wicked nurse, a band of dwarves and a phosphorescent poisonous apple. Blancanieves breaks its mesmerizing message in a champagne bottle over the hull of the Palm Springs International Film Festival tomorrow at the festival’s opening night. Standby tickets are available at the door only. Join us afterward for Afterfest — running throughout the festival — where you can catch late night festivities, good food and some tipsy armchair film criticism by the hot tub. We still have some rooms open this weekend, and you can try your hand at winning two nights from Kiehl’s — who are also working with us to support the Desert AIDS Project during the festival — at Ace Palm Springs if you enter by noon PST Thursday. ¡Olé!