Governor appoints Kerry Gibson as Commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
SALT LAKE CITY (Apr. 15, 2019) – Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Kerry Gibson to serve as commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, following LuAnn Adams’ announcement that she will retire.
“Kerry Gibson is extraordinarily well prepared to serve as commissioner for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,” said Gov. Herbert. “His experience as a legislator, a county commissioner, and especially as a dairy farmer himself, will serve him well as he works with Utah’s farmers, ranchers, and other important members of our agricultural community.”
Prior to this appointment, Gibson most recently served as deputy director for the Department of Natural Resources. He has also served as a commissioner for Weber County, and in the Utah House of Representatives. During his time as a state representative, Gibson was the chair of the Natural Resources Appropriations Committee, where he oversaw the state’s budget for the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture and Food, amongst others.
“It is truly an honor to have been nominated by Governor Herbert as the commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,” Gibson said. “I express my gratitude to all of those who work so hard every day to provide food and fiber for a grateful nation. Working together with all Utahns, we can make Utah an even better place to live and thrive.”
This appointment is subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate. Prior to confirmation, Gibson will serve as interim director for the Department of Agriculture and Food, effective immediately.
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Charity Bomb Presents
Strange 80s 3D
3rd Annual Benefit Concert
On June 1st At The Fonda Theatre
**Tickets On Sale Friday, April 19th**
Hosted by MTV's Matt Pinfield
With Performances By Members Of:
CHVRCHES, No Doubt, Weezer, Eagles of Death Metal, Simple Plan, Jane's Addiction,
Bones UK, Velvet Revolver, Sugarcult, Atlas Genius, Supersonic Blues Machine, & more!
Los Angeles, CA - April 15, 2019 - Charity Bomb is proud to announce Strange 80s 3D, the third annual benefit concert set to take place on June 1st at The Fonda Theatre. Tickets are on sale Friday, April 19th @ 10AM PT: http://bit.ly/Strange80s3D. All proceeds will go to Talinda Bennington's mental health initiative "320 Changes Direction", serving those who suffer from mental health, depression and addiction issues. For more information, please visit: www.strange80s.com.
Hosted by MTV's Matt Pinfield, the third annual Strange 80s will transform The Fonda Theatre with 3-D production, classic 80s film set installations, and iconic designs.
Confirmed performers include: Lauren Mayberry & Mark Doherty of CHVRCHES, Adrian Young of No Doubt, Scott Shriner of Weezer, Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal, Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan, Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Carmen Vandenburg & Rosie Jones of Bones UK, Dave Kushner of Velvet Revolver, Marko Desantis of Sugarcult, Keith & Michael Jeffre of Atlas Genius, Fabrizio Grassi Main of Supersonic Blues Machine, and more will cover the anthems of the 80s in a real-life recreation of the decade. Additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. The first 150 tickets sold will receive a limited-edition silkscreen event poster.
"Music can play an important role for those who are hurting emotionally - it can soothe, heal, and inspire hope. Give an Hour, through our public health initiative, the Campaign to Change Direction, is excited - and grateful - to partner once again with Charity Bomb for Strange 80s - a wildly fun concert that will definitely be good for everyone's emotional well-being!" explains Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, Founder and President of Give an Hour. "Through 320 Changes Direction, our special partnership with Talinda Bennington, we are working to reach those who are struggling - so that they know they aren't alone. We want everyone to come out on June 1st, 2019 for the concert - to raise awareness and funds for the work we are doing to change the culture of mental health. With Charity Bomb running the show, we know it will be great fun and a huge success!"
For a look into what to expect at this year's Strange 80s, fans can check out the following video: https://youtu.be/_d_qIX4ut30
For a complete up-to-date list of artists performing, please visit www.strange80s.com.
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EVENT DETAILS:
Charity Bomb Presents Strange 80s 3D
DATE: Saturday, June 1st, 2019
VENUE: The Fonda Theatre | 6126 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
TICKETS: On Sale Friday, April 19th: http://bit.ly/Strange80s3D
GA: $40
VIP: $150
TIME: Doors - 6:30pm | Show - 8pm
Follow Strange 80s 3D:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/strange_enter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strangeenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strange_ent
About Charity Bomb
Charity Bomb is a non-profit organization founded by four philanthropic friends to produce benefit shows for a variety of charitable organizations in the scope of music. Our motto is "All Purpose Altruism" - we deliver 100% of the proceeds, 100% of the time, with 100% transparency, to ensure that the funds raised reach its intended constituency, every dime, every time.
Musician & Philanthropist, Matthew Leone was put into a coma with 1/3 of his skull removed after rescuing a woman being beaten on the streets of Chicago a few years back. From Kevin, Lyman & Warped Tour, to Kiss and Madonna, the international music community rallied to bring him back to life. Smashing Pumpkins even did a benefit show for him. Twin brother, singer for their band Madina Lake, Nathan Leone agrees, this is what saved his life. Consequently, the Leone's devoted their lives to giving back. After several years with Sweet Relief Musicians Fund & Help Musicians UK, it was time to branch out. All-Purpose Altruism - Charity Bomb reflects the ubiquitous truth that love is the antidote for everything. This notion, as applied in our philanthropic context, asserts that we will drum up love, in all of its forms, for a particular cause or purpose, and drop it on the antagonist.
Los Angeles native, professional musician & acclaimed songwriter, Nik Frost, suffered from addiction. When drugs came dangerously close to claiming his life, it was fellow musicians, Dave Kushner & Brian O'conner (Velvet Revolver & Eagles of Death Metal respectively) who intervened and came to his rescue. Nik worked with Matthew on several projects, all a pre-destination to Charity Bomb.We are a non-profit, fundraising and awareness agent for any benevolent cause that enters our ether.
Ryan Ford, lifelong closest friend, philanthropist, successful entrepreneur, an avid lover of music, is the fourth Charity Bomber. Ryan's founded several businesses, MP45 Records among them, and brings the administrative acumen to complement his creative contribution to the collective. In short, we have the purpose, we know the right people and we know how to put on a show. We love a win-win-win outcome. It's abundantly clear that living a life where we produce spectacular live music events that serve a philanthropic cause, makes our constituents win, our clients win, and the fans win.
About 320 Changes Direction
320 Changes Direction is the latest strand of GiveAnHour.org's Campaign to Change Direction. It is a coalition of concerned citizens, nonprofit leaders, and leaders from the private sector who have come together to change the culture in America about mental health, mental illness, and wellness.
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Natural Disasters, Nuclear Weapons and Budget Priorities
by Robert F. Dodge, MD
657 words
April 15 is tax day. Each year, with the onset of spring and the renewal it brings, our nation funds our priorities. As stated by Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners, “Budgets are moral documents,” and as such, ultimately they provide funding for the hopes, desires and preparations for the future.
This year communities across our nation are struggling to recover from the catastrophic natural disasters over the past year. Yet, paradoxically, as we cope with the rebuilding and financial burden of these natural disasters, our nation marches blindly forward spending precious resources funding the greatest potential manmade disaster, namely nuclear war. The effects of nuclear war would dwarf any natural disaster.
The tax expenditures for all nuclear programs is calculated each year by Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles as part of their Nuclear Weapons Community Costs Project. For fiscal year 2019 which is paid April 15th the cost is $61.45 Billion.
The impact of these nuclear expenditures on communities across this nation hardest hit by the natural disasters of 2018 are as follows:
Locale
Disaster
Nuclear Expenditure
Santa Barbara Co., Ca.
Thomas Fire / Montecito mudslides
>$88.7 Million
Elliot City, Md.
Flash flooding
>$20.5 Million
North Carolina
Hurricanes Florence / Michael
>$1.759 Billion
South Carolina
Hurricanes Florence / Michael
>$816 Million
Florida
Hurricane Michael
>$3.692 Billion
Georgia
Hurricane Michael
>$1.775 Billion
Butte Co, Ca.
Camp Fire
>$36 Million
L.A. Co, Ca.
Woolsey Fire
>$1.885 Billion
Ventura Co., Ca
Woolsey Fire
>$184 Million
The Camp Fire destroyed almost 14,000 homes. The Woolsey fire at the end of the year paradoxically started on the site of one of the worst nuclear accidents in U.S. history at the Santa Susanna Field Lab in Simi Valley. The question must be asked, do these expenditures make these communities any safer?
These nuclear expenditures fuel a false concept of nuclear deterrence and a new arms race that is expected to cost $1.7 Trillion adjusted for inflation over the next 30 years. They rob our communities, our children and future generations of opportunities that can and must be realized in order to protect their world.
We need to spend our precious dollars investing in stemming climate change and its effects, not in responding to the international crises that result from the same. The current humanitarian crisis and war in Syria along with the impending crisis and humanitarian disaster in Central and South America, including Honduras, stem in part from climate change.
The status quo is not sustainable. Left unchecked, the probability of nuclear war either by plan or accident increases. The United Nations declared this month that the prospect of nuclear war is higher now than it has been in generations. This is a situation that does not have to be. Man built nuclear weapons and man can destroy them. The only way to prevent nuclear war is to abolish these weapons as called for in the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
In the U.S. there is a growing movement from communities, cities, states, NGOs and religious bodies across our nation called “Back from the Brink” that demands action by our government. This calls on our federal officials to endorse:
· Renouncing the option of using nuclear weapons first
· Ending the sole, unchecked authority of any U.S. president to launch a nuclear attack
· Taking U.S. nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert
· Cancelling the plan to replace its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons
· Actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals
Each of us can endorse this Call and demand our elected Representatives to do likewise. This past week U.S. Representatives McGovern and Blumenauer introduced H. Res 302 that supports the Back from the Brink campaign.
As our nation and world face these great challenges, there are simultaneously great opportunities. They require great vision and leadership. Each of us has a role to play. These are not political or partisan issues. They are issues of survival. As our elected officials contemplate future budgets, who among them will have the courage, wisdom and understanding to make the connections between climate and nuclear war and become the bipartisan leaders of today’s abolition movement?
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Robert Dodgewrites for PeaceVoice, is a family physician practicing in Ventura, California, is the Co-Chair of the Security Committee of National Physicians for Social Responsibilityand is the President of Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles.
