- Created on 10 June 2013
Link Between African Americans and Kidney Disease Spawns Festival Featuring Kidney Disease Survivor Natalie Cole
On August 22, "On The Vine," a four-day music and entertainment festival starring Natalie Cole and benefiting kidney disease research will launch. "On The Vine" will take place on the island of Martha's Vineyard August 22 - 25, and will feature live performances by Kenny "BabyFace" Edmonds, jazz greats Kahil El Zabar, Roy Hargrove and James Carter, music legend and icon Smokey Robinson, comedian and kidney disease survivor Richard Lewis, Grammy Award winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari, singer-songwriter Angie Stone and others.
"On The Vine" is slated to be an annual event benefiting the Rambam Health Care Campus located in Haifa, Israel and will help fund the kidney disease research of Prof. Karl Skorecki. This year, the event's biggest evening will star Cole, a multiple Grammy Award winner, songwriter, performer, author and kidney disease survivor.
According to Skorecki, 40 million Americans have kidney disease, almost 12 million of whom are Black. African Americans are 3.5 times more likely to suffer from kidney disease. While African Americans account for only 14 percent of the population, they make up 30 percent of all patients treated for kidney failure. Of the 580,000 Americans on dialysis due to kidney failure, African Americans constitute 187,000 – nearly a third.
African American patients often wait up to ten years before getting a match for a transplant because there are fewer potential donors for Black people.
Breakthrough medical research led by Dr. Karl Skorecki and his team based at Rambam Hospital in Israel, has isolated genetic markers that are linked to contracting kidney disease, as the first step to prevention and cure.
"It is my understanding that we are five years and $5 million dollars away from finding a cure for kidney disease among African-Americans. I am proud to have the opportunity to produce a benefit that will generate funds for a history making medical breakthrough," said Dennis Shortt, founder and executive producer of On The Vine.
"It has been a great experience working with Michele Segelnick, executive director of American Friends of Rambam, and we are looking forward to four days of entertainment from a great lineup of talent, and kicking off a benefit for kidney disease that will continue yearly as an ongoing tradition."
"On The Vine" is a Heard It Through The Grapevine Production created and executive produced by Dennis Shortt, Chief Creative Officer of Concretemixx22, a Chicago based touch marketing agency. Shortt and The American Friends of Rambam created the festival to generate awareness and funding support for this lifesaving research discovery.
Below is the "On The Vine" festival schedule: (subject to change)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013 "THE SHOWCASE" - THE FOUR DAYS of entertainment opens with a music legend, Motown great Smokey Robinson. Smokey's vocals create high appeal for the ON THE VINE benefit. Partnered with Smokey for a very special opening performance is Angie Stone. The R&B and soul artist is a singer-songwriter and producer; she has a big sound ON THE VINE is proud to Showcase.
Location: Tabernacle - Trinity Park, Oak Bluffs (Martha's Vineyard), MA 02557
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2013 "THE ELEVATION PROJECT" - This late afternoon happy hour event is a music and art creation of Kahil El'Zabar known as one of the world's greatest jazz percussionist. El'Zabar brings his creation designed for the South of France to ON THE VINE on Martha's Vineyard. During the R&B and Jazz performance live art is created; painting, sculpturing, videography capped off with an exclusive trend fashion show.
Location: The Featherstone Arts Center - 30 Featherstone LN, Oak Bluffs (Martha's Vineyard) MA 02557
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013 - "LINEN & LOVE" IN CLASSIC BLACK - This evening one of America's most beloved entertainers, nine-time Grammy Award winner and kidney survivor Ms. Natalie Cole, will perform. This will be a star-studded evening of entertainment headlined by Ms. Natalie Cole and featuring one of the most talented singer-songwriters of our time, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. The evening is hosted by comedian, actor (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and kidney survivor, Richard Lewis. This evening also features Grammy Award winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari.
Location: Tabernacle - Trinity Park, Oak Bluffs (Martha's Vineyard), MA 02557
SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013 - "DELIBERATE DISTORTIONS" - The four-day entertainment benefit ends with a pure jazz brunch for jazz lovers. The stellar talents are assembled by jazz percussionist Kahil El'Zabar featuring headliners trumpet great Roy Hargrove and saxophone sensation James Carter, for a collaboration first in jazz history. Closing out four days of fundraising is a check presentation to American Friends of Rambam Health Care Campus for Kidney Disease Research and Martha's Vineyard Hospital Dialysis Center.
Location: The Featherstone Arts Center - 30 Featherstone LN, Oak Bluffs (Martha's Vineyard) MA 02557
- Created on 09 June 2013
Ciara Served With Lawsuit During LA Pride Performance
Ciara was giving an electrifying performance at an LA Pride event in West Hollywood when she was served with a lawsuit from gay club, “The Factory,” for failure to appear at the venue the night before her performance, reports TMZ.com.
According to the lawsuit filed by the popular gay bar, Ci-Ci informed them that she couldn’t perform, but that she
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- Created on 07 June 2013
Conrad Murray Sends Message To Paris Jackson After Suicide Attempt
Paris Jackson is reportedly receiving support from a surprising source a day after reports of her failed suicide attempt: Dr. Conrad Murray, her father’s doctor.
In a voice message obtained by TMZ, Murray lets Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, know
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- Created on 07 June 2013
Legendary Broadcaster Joe Madison Elected to Red Cross Board of Governors
The "Black Eagle," Joe Madison, a legendary voice in radio has been announced as a new member of the Red Cross Board of Governors.
The new board was announced on Wednesday and Madison will join Afsaneh M. Beschloss, Jon M. Huntsman, Sr., and Tina M. Schiel as new members.
"We welcome these extraordinary individuals to the board of governors," said Red Cross Chairman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. "They are talented and respected community and business leaders who are committed to helping others. Together, we will ensure the American Red Cross can carry out its great humanitarian mission and is there for families and individuals across the country and around the world in their hour of greatest need."
The Red Cross is led by a Board of Governors with all of the powers of governing and directing, as well as overseeing the management of the business and affairs of the organization. The new board members were elected for three-year terms by delegates from local Red Cross chapters and blood regions across the country at the annual meeting of the Red Cross held on May 22. The board now has 20 governors.
Beginning his career at Detroit's WXYZ, Madison is a talk radio personality at Sirius XM Radio, Inc. and is listed by Talker Magazine as being among the Top Ten Radio Talk Personalities in America. Madison, known as "The Black Eagle," can be heard every weekday morning coast-to-coast on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Urban View, Channel 110.
With a radio career spanning three decades, Madison has been a powerful voice on the nation's morning airwaves for many years. After starting with WXYZ-AM, he later moved to WWDB-FM in Philadelphia. Madison continued his radio career in Washington, DC, first at WWRC-AM, then later at WOL-AM where he was the program director and morning talk radio personality for over 15 years. Before launching his successful career in radio, Madison worked for General Motors, St. Louis Cardinals Football and Seymour & Lundy Associates. He served as executive director of the Detroit NAACP and then as director of the NAACP Political Action Department. He subsequently served on the board of the NAACP for 14 years and is now a life member of the NAACP.
He is currently serving as President of the Bethune-DuBois Institute. Madison has been a devoted advocate of various causes such as leading voter registration marches and opposing genocide and modern-day slavery in Sudan and apartheid in South Africa. His many television appearances include Good Morning America, ABC News Nightline, NBC's Today Show, and the Oprah Winfrey Show, among others. Madison graduated from Washington University.
Below are biographies about the three others joining the board, provided by the Red Cross.
Afsaneh M. Beschloss is the president and chief executive officer of the Rock Creek Group, a global investment management and advisory firm headquartered in Washington, DC. She advises pension funds and central banks and served previously as treasurer and chief investment officer of the World Bank. She has worked for J.P. Morgan in New York and London, and Shell International Group Planning in London. She has taught international trade and economic development at Oxford University. Since 2010, Beschloss has served as a member of the American Red Cross Investment Committee and Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund. She has been the chairman of the Investment Committee of the Ford Foundation and was on the Investment Committee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation, the Urban Institute and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Mrs. Beschloss has an undergraduate degree from the University of Kent in Canterbury, U.K. and an MPhil (Honors) in economics from Oxford University.
Jon M. Huntsman, Sr. is the founder and executive chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals. Huntsman was a United States Naval Gunnery Officer and served under President Richard Nixon as special assistant to the president and as White House staff secretary. Huntsman is widely recognized as one of America's foremost concerned citizens and philanthropists. He and his wife founded the Huntsman Cancer Institute in 1995. He previously served on the American Red Cross Board of Governors and serves or has served on numerous corporate, industry and civic organization boards. Huntsman earned his undergraduate degree at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the University of Southern California.
Tina M. Schiel is executive vice president of stores at Target Corporation. In this position, Schiel oversees 1,750 stores and 300,000 team members with $65 billion in annual sales. Previously, Schiel was senior vice president, new business development and enterprise strategy. Her responsibilities included new formats such as City Target and international opportunities. She began her career with Target in 1987 as a stores team member and rose through the organization to become a Senior Vice President in 1998 where she served as SVP for stores in three of Target's four U.S. regions, including the northeast; south/southeast and west coast regions. Schiel earned her BA from Hardin-Simmons University.
- Created on 06 June 2013
Michael Jackson’s Daughter, Paris, Rushed to Hospital After Apparent Suicide Attempt
Paris Jackson, 15, the daughter of the late, great Michael Jackson, is “physically fine” after a potential suicide attempt in her Calabasas, Calif., home, reports CBS.
Her
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