It was Aaron Mankin’s first chance at combat in Iraq. As a part of Operation Matador, he was going door-to-door looking for traces of weapons or explosives in an effort to sweep the insurgency towards the Syrian border. On May 11, 2005, the seventh day of the mission, Mankin and 16 other marines riding inside a 26-ton track vehicle drove over a roadside bomb. “It threw us 10 feet in the air,” he said. “Seconds later, I realized I was on fire. I dove out of the back of the vehicle and dropped and rolled and rolled — so much so that I exhausted myself and just lay there burning. Thoughts of my family and friends went through my head as I laid there, waiting to die.” 6 of Mankin’s fellow marines were killed instantly by the roadside bomb. Everyone else in the vehicle was burned or otherwise wounded. Within 48 hours, Mankin had been transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and was surrounded by family and friends. “I had second and third-degree burns on both arms from my finger tips to shoulder blades. Every feature on my face was burned away,” he said. “Ears gone. Nose gone. My mouth detracted so far back that my mother had to feed me through a funnel for weeks … I wasn’t ready to look at myself for weeks. I would hold my arm up in front of my face so I could only see my eyes.” But after nearly 40 life-saving surgeries in San Antonio, Mankin was grateful to be alive and began to resign himself to looking the way that he did. And yet, he felt like he had “more to do, more to give back” — so he began speaking out about his experience. In November 2006, philanthropist Ron Katz, a board member at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and his late wife saw Mankin on CNN. “Aaron’s face was extraordinarily devastated; it was in shambles,” Katz recalled. “From all of that, which would be catastrophic to most people, there was this immense wonderful personality. He told CNN that he had gone through dozens of surgeries. When asked what he was going to do next, Aaron, with his facial skin to the bone, looked up and said, ‘I have to fix the beautiful part!’” Katz called it a “fortuitous” moment. Inspired by Mankin, Katz began to lay the groundwork for Operation Mend, a partnership program that flies patients from all over the country to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to undergo face and hand reconstructive surgeries. “My wife and I soon realized that there were dozens of Aarons out there,” Katz said. “These men and women deserve not only the best that the Defense sector has to offer; they deserve the best that the private sector has to offer as well.” As it happened, Mankin became Operation Mend’s first patient. In September 2007, he flew to Los Angeles to begin a series of 20 facial reconstructive surgeries at UCLA. “They took the cartilage from what was left of my ears and put it onto my forehead. It looked like I had horns for several months,” Mankin said. “The cartilage became a ‘flap,’ which they peeled off, twisted over and folded down onto where my nose was supposed to be. Those horns became my nostrils. For several weeks, when I touched my new nose, I felt my forehead. Around my mouth, countless scar release procedures allowed me to have an adequate smile and eat a burger again.” Mankin also opted for prosthetic ears. “In the morning, I glue them on and, at night, I take them off,” he said. “Like contacts!” Mankin said that his new face has enabled him to be himself in public and regain a sense of who he was before his injuries occurred. Of the more than 50 other service members who have since undergone Operation Mend surgeries, he said, “Just look at their pictures and focus on the eyes. You can see a rejuvenated spirit behind those eyes.” A full-time single dad in San Antonio, Mankin lives with his 4-year-old daughter Maddie and 3-year-old son Hunter. Operation Mend “has shown my kids that Americans want to help,” he said. Mankin has another Operation Mend surgery scheduled for late November and anticipates it will be one of his last. “I guess I would say the marines, medical community, doctors and nurses saved my life,” he said. “My family kept me alive. And Operation Mend gave me a life worth living.” Operation Mend is entirely funded by private contributions; click here to donate. Katz told HuffPost that he strongly encourages any young men or women who are interested to contact the partnership. All photos courtesy of Operation Mend . The rest is here: ‘A Life Worth Living’: UCLA Gives Severely Burned Soldiers New Faces
Beverly Hills News
Posts Tagged ‘ family ’
Slain Father’s Family Files Suit Against PD
Family of slain father speak out during a press conference to announce lawsuit. Photo Credit: Antonio Castelan Read more: Slain Father’s Family Files Suit Against PD
GUILTY! Jackson Doctor Murray Denied Bail
Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray , is guilty of manslaughter.
Stacie Krajchir: An Open Letter to Kim Kardashian
Dear Kim, There is no doubt you are a hopeless romantic, you love falling in love, the same way your family loves a good cover photo. I believe you when you say you thought this marriage was forever, except for the fact that I also think you knew far before your wedding day that you were just not that into him (hello those dogs on your pretty bed? Never going to happen.) But you forged ahead, because you had already signed on the dotted line and the train had already left the building and you’re a people pleaser. Public commitment sucks. I have always given you credit, well actually, I give Mama Kris props for taking your little sex video and manipulating the public to catapult your bank account to the zillions. There’s no fault in solid, good business, but this whole wedding, relationship and divorce shenanigan — this is where we need to have a little talk. I have so many less than lady like things I want to say about you, but I’ve decided to leave the name calling to all the not so happy people who have said you’re a shallow, overrated, attention seeking, sad, pathetic, pointless, money hungry human. People are not being very nice, but we live in America, so we have to let the people say what they need to, to get through it. I think it’s safe to assume, the only thing that is on your mind right now is how you’re going to ride the wave of a PR crisis that mommy got you into; so while Mama Kris figures out how she’s going to get you out of this and make 37 million while doing so, I’m going to give you a handful of other things to think about. 1. The 400 people who drove to Santa Barbara in LA traffic, many of those people had to get babysitters and rearrange their lives to watch your pretty fantasy spill out in black and white and roses; you sort of owe them babysitting and hotel money, it’s the least you can do. 2. You received millions of dollars from E! For the rights to air your farce of a fabulous, over-the-top wedding and yet, we still can’t get gay marriage legalized. If you have one ounce of integrity, I challenge you with all my being, to donate half of that fee you received towards the mission to get gay marriage legalized. I don’t even care about what state you do it in, just do it. 3. The wedding vendors who worked their asses off to make your perfect fantasy come to life and got paid zero in hopes to use your wedding to move their business forward, well, you might want to go ahead pay them for their stellar services; it’s the polite and proper thing to do. Oh, and, if they won’t take your money, because they’re ass kissers, I have a whole list of friends who run charities who will be happy to accept your donation in lieu of the 20 million in free products and services you received. Tweet me, I’ll send you their contact info. 4. If you’re wondering what do about that 20.5-carat ring, that little bling would do miracles for the LAUSD and help thousands of children get a better education. Just think about it, you could make change happen in your own backyard. What a concept, right? My educator husband will be happy to help guide you in this area. Tweet me, I’ll re-tweet it to him. 5. While your image and “brand” pushes sex to the millionth degree, my friends Alison, Aleda, Maria and Barbara see, treat and refer about 62,400 women a year in Haiti who are affected by gender based violence through WeAdvance.org. They built an itty-bitty clinic that is more powerful than any magazine cover. Imagine what you could do for these women, with just the cost of catering from your wedding — now that’s a cover story. I think you get where I am going with all this. Put down the Blackberry, add an “out of the country” signature on your Twitter account, tell mama Kris to back the hell up and get your ass out of Tinseltown. Be bold, be independent and surprise yourself and everyone else around you. Book a one-way solo ticket to a third world country and get some real life experience and perspective, you need it. It’s time to reach far and deep into your soul and see some things you need to see and create a vision of who you want to be as a woman. This is what Oprah might call your defining moment — which path are you going to choose? Go, sit in the uncomfortable. Dare to become a woman who stands for something and become someone who gives back and inspires young women to be something unique and spectacular; be known for creating good versus empty and predictable. Go. Be authentic. This whole famous for nothing and living your life out loud on television with no true purpose other than cash and fame is not what your father would have wished for you. You have to know when to say when, and when is right now. After a very bad break up, Stacie Krajchir-Tom left her life behind for 60 days up to volunteer in Thailand after the Asian tsunami. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stacie-krajchir/tsunami-relief-work-the-m_b_79267.html. She was so inspired by her experience; she created and launched The See & Sprout Project (seandsprout.com). Read more here: Stacie Krajchir: An Open Letter to Kim Kardashian
Regret & Redemption For Former Mr. Jelly Belly
COVINA, Calif. — He’s the Willie Wonka of this small suburban town east of Los Angeles, the rotund man in the T-shirt and shorts who joyfully takes just about anybody who walks through the door on a tour of his tiny candy factory. But David Klein was once much more. The confectioner, who these days makes a comfortable living selling various chewy, crunchy concoctions with funny names like Candy Barf and Zombie Heart (the latter squirts strawberry-flavored “blood” when you bite into it), was once at the center of a sweet-tooth revolution. He was Mr. Jelly Belly. In 1976 Klein launched the gourmet jelly bean craze when he improbably envisioned that people would be willing to pay 10 or 20 times more for jelly beans if they simply tasted better, came in scores of natural flavors and had a clever name. Then, with only $800 in hand, he somehow talked a small, family-run candy company in the San Francisco Bay area into going into business with him. The result was the Jelly Belly, a precociously flavorful little gob of sugar, syrup and corn starch that quickly became the favored treat of millions, including President Ronald Reagan. And Klein, a one-time nut distributor who had begun selling his creation in just one candy store, was the gourmet bean’s mascot. Decked out in a Jelly Belly-bejeweled top hat and a matching white cowboy suit, he was everywhere in the late 1970s. He was photographed for People magazine sitting in a bathtub filled with Jelly Bellys, some stuck to his hairy chest, others lodged between his toes. He dropped by TV programs like “The Mike Douglas Show” to trade quips with the host and cajole the celebrity guests into sampling his new flavors. Then, for reasons Klein still has trouble coming to terms with, he and his partner sold their interest in the Jelly Belly name in 1980 for $4.8 million. He collected his half of the money in monthly installments over 20 years, and he faded into obscurity. “I went from hero to zero in about 60 seconds,” the usually upbeat candy maker says morosely when the subject is raised. “I was Mr. Jelly Belly for four years. And then …,” his voice trail off. While Jelly Bellys were being passed around the table at Reagan administration Cabinet meetings and carried into outer space by astronauts in the 1980s, Klein was trying in vain to come up with another big thing. He brought out a version of sugar-free salt water taffy. He tried to hit it big with sour licorice until more well-heeled competitors squeezed him out. He pioneered gross-out candy with a chocolate bar shaped to look like – well – you get the idea. It never caught on. Through it all, he moped about his and his late partner’s decision to sell their 50-50 interest in Jelly Belly to the Herman Goelitz Candy Company, which renamed itself the Jelly Belly Candy Company. “It caused a lot of pain in the family,” says his son, Bert Klein, who produced the documentary “Candyman: The David Klein Story.” So much so that his son, a veteran Hollywood film animator, says that as a child he stopped telling people his father had ever been Mr. Jelly Belly. It was too painful and most people didn’t believe him anyway. Now, with another holiday candy season upon us, Klein is back and hoping, at age 65, to regain the mojo that once made him the talk of the candy world. His company, Can You Imagine That!, is working with Leaf Brands in developing a new treat called Farts. (Yes, you read that right.) Leaf, which created Milk Duds, plans to have Farts in stores by Christmas, and when it does Klein predicts they will make people forget all about Nerds, a similar looking but crunchier candy. Then there is Dave’s Signature Beyond Gourmet jelly beans. They will mark Klein’s return to the candy bean business with such exotic flavors as ginger, jalapeno and bacon. He’s predicting they will also make people wonder what they ever saw in Jelly Belly, a company with which his relations have grown increasingly acrimonious over the years. Klein has long maintained that Jelly Belly’s chairman, Herman G. Rowland Sr., bullied him into selling out at a rock-bottom price so he could have the Jelly Belly empire all to himself. It’s an allegation Rowland emphatically denies. “I loved Dave,” Rowland said recently from his office in Fairfield, before quickly adding he wanted to make sure his listener had heard him correctly: He had said “loved,” not “love.” Still, Rowland chuckles often when he recalls the heady, early days of Jelly Belly and the promotional schemes Klein would come up with. He acknowledges it was Klein’s idea to call the candy Jelly Belly, a name Rowland didn’t think much of at the time. He thought even less of the portly Klein’s decision to be photographed naked in a bathtub full of jelly beans. “When I saw that thing, I went, `Oh my God, this is the end of Jelly Belly. No one will ever want to eat one,’” he recalls with a laugh. “Well, I was wrong.” He only pressed to buy Klein out, he says, after learning he had given his late partner half of his Jelly Belly distribution business and his partner in turn had trademarked the product’s name. He realized then, Rowland said, that if he didn’t buy Jelly Belly the name could be taken to any other candy maker. Meanwhile, Jelly Belly had become so popular that the small company Rowland’s great-grandfather had founded in 1869 was struggling to keep up with production while spending money to expand so it could make more Jelly Bellys, which it sold only through Klein. “Now maybe he doesn’t know these things or maybe he doesn’t remember them,” Rowland said. “But I protected his a– completely.” Klein, for his part, says he does understand. But then he thinks again of those days when he’d put on his Mr. Jelly Belly costume and go on television. And he becomes wistful and wishes he’d never relinquished the name. If he hadn’t he figures he’d still be Mr. Jelly Belly. “Col. Sanders created a product and when he sold it he was still Col. Sanders,” Klein says earnestly. “His picture was still on the buckets and everything.” Originally posted here: Regret & Redemption For Former Mr. Jelly Belly
Family Saved from House Fire by Good Samaritans
A family in Cypress was saved from their home by Good Samaritans after a fire broke out last night, reports KTLA . The fire started on the 5000 block of Citation Avenue in the home of Jonnard Albayalde while he was at work and his family was inside. more › See the original post: Family Saved from House Fire by Good Samaritans
Bilak Loses Two Endorsements After Debate Scheduling Controversy
Board of Education candidate Frances Bilak has lost two important endorsements since Patch reported Oct. 20 that an election debate had been canceled after Bilak emailed the Beverly Hills High School student who was organizing the event, claiming that she would contact local media and synagogues of his decision to hold the event during the Sabbath. Councilwoman Lili Bosse , who won every district in the city when she ran for election earlier this year, pulled her endorsement of Bilak after reading the Patch story. Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein also withdrew his endorsement of Bilak several hours after Bosse made her decision public on Patch. Bilak is one of four candidates running for three board seats in the Nov. 8 election. “The Last Word: The Last Election Debate” had been planned for 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, four days before the election. It was organized by Max Schwartz, a BHHS senior who hosts a talk show on KBEV6, the high school’s student television station. Bilak, like her competitors Brian Goldberg , Lewis Hall and Noah Margo , had agreed to participate in the debate. But when she realized the debate time conflicted with the Sabbath, she asked Schwartz to change the date or time. Although he tried to reschedule the event, Schwartz was unable to do so. In an Oct. 17 email to Schwartz, Bilak said that said she was “deeply disappointed” by his decision to keep the debate at its original date and time. “I will be letting the newspapers know tomorrow as well as the synagogues know of your decision,” she wrote. “I had told them that I believed you would respect the Sabbath and everyone’s decision to have dinner with their families on the Sabbath.” The debate was subsequently canceled. “When I read your Patch story, it broke my heart, particularly because Max Schwartz is an exemplary student and member of our community,” Bosse told Patch. “[Bilak] really crossed the line when she said, ‘I am going to let the synagogues and the media know,’ as though what he was doing was religiously motivated. It felt like bullying behavior, it was cruel and that is when I wrote her an email letting her know of my decision.” In Bosse’s comment to the Oct. 20 article, she asked that the candidate remove the councilwoman’s name from Bilak’s marketing materials for the remainder of the campaign unless the candidate made a public apology to Schwartz. Bosse said Friday that Bilak’s comments on Patch, in which she apologized to Schwatz, did not constitute a public apology and that her decision to withdraw support for Bilak was now final. “It is one thing to get frustrated with fellow adults, but with kids—the children of this district—the number one thing you have to have is compassion,” Bosse said. “I am sure she has learned a lot from this experience. It has been a lesson for all of us who take endorsements seriously.” Bosse noted that she originally had planned to avoid making endorsements in the Nov. 8 race. But when Margo decided to join as a write-in candidate, Bosse changed her mind because she said she knew how difficult a write-in campaigns can be and she believed Margo would make a good board member. At that point she decided to also endorse Bilak and incumbent Goldberg. Bosse still strongly supports Margo and Goldberg. Planning Commissioner Brian Rosenstein came to a similar conclusion after Patch alerted him to the fact that Bilak was promoting his endorsement in media advertisements. Like Bosse, he has also endorsed Goldberg and Margo. “I had assumed by tonight [Oct. 20] that I would have seen, or that you would have made, a public apology for the comments made to Max,” Rosenstein wrote in email to sent Bilak at 8:47 p.m. on Oct. 20. “What I saw on Patch was basically an ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ message from you. That is not what I consider an apology and is not what Max and his family deserves or this community will find to be good enough.” Rosenstein posted his entire email to Bilak on Patch about an hour later at 9:52 p.m. At the time of this story’s publication, Bosse is still listed on Bilak’s website as being a supporter. Mayor Barry Brucker, who also endorsed Bilak, has not indicated that he plans to withdraw his support. Be sure to follow Beverly Hills Patch on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook . Originally posted here: Bilak Loses Two Endorsements After Debate Scheduling Controversy
Gregory Linton: Come Participate in Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011′
Mr. Brainwash is excited to announce his biggest and most ambitious exhibition to date entitled Art Show 2011.  Not only is Mr. Brainwash putting on an art show, he is inviting any and all artists to come and participate in the event as a community art project. â¨Â â¨Since M&F is the voice of LA’s street art community, Mr. Brainwash extended a special offer to the followers and supporters of the blog by offering an exclusive first chance to put art on the walls this past Sunday. There was a huge turnout opening day with everything from five year olds to 60-year-old grandmothers, and first time artists to seasoned street art veterans. Here is a sampling of the great shots and amazing stories we captured from first day of Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011.’ If you want to be part of Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011.’ it is not too late. Due to the extreme popularity of the event, Mr. Brainwash has extended the hours, and the space will be open one final day, Sunday, October 16th from 11AM-10PM, so come share your art! AMK – LA based stencil artist AMK applied his signature spiders all over Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011′ and maintainted a stealthy look all the while. More HERE . Art Queen – One of the most compelling stories of the day was the 60 year old ‘Art Queen’ who has long been a fan and photographer of street art, but became inspired to create her first street art as part of ‘Art Show 2011′. She said that this is a secret side of her that most of her family and friends don’t know about. More HERE . Family Affair – ‘Art Show 2011′ is a family affair. Here are shots of a happy family supporting Dad as he places a piece on the wall and then all the cheerful members posing for a family portrait. More HERE . Highway Art – This was probably the most striking story of the day. This family lives in Reno, Nevada. But when the father heard about the opportunity to be part of Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011,’ he and his son hopped in the car and drove straight to the gallery. The piece is called Highway Art because it was created along the way, with collaborations ranging from truck drivers to Mr. Brainwash. More HERE . Inept – One of our favorite pieces of the day was this Star Wars-themed family portrait from street artist Inept. More HERE . LOUDLABS – The LOUDLABS crew affixing an actual canvas, not a wheat paste, to the wall inside ‘Art Show 2011′. LOUDLABS have distinguished themselves by bridging the gap between fine art and street art, as they only place canvases and tile pieces of art on the street. More HERE . Maggot – Maggot installing one of our favorite pieces to hit the streets of Los Angeles this year, featuring a mother fish nursing a bunch of baby fish. More HERE . Phobik – Street artist Phobik wearing a bandana and installing a hand painted shark piece. With fellow street artists KilleD and Surrendr putting a piece up in the background next to a piece by Gune Monster. More HERE . Professional Photo Shoot (With Gregory Siff) – There was a professional photographer on hand to snap anonymous photographs of the participants. Here is LA-based street artist/actor Gregory Siff striking a pose for the photo shoot. More HERE . Steve Jobs Tribute – A Steve Jobs tribute piece hand painted by artist Robert E. Richards. Dig the OG Apple throwback color scheme. More HERE . Teacher – Teacher has earned a name as one of LA’s top street artists. His pieces are almost always hand-painted or printed from a hand painted piece. The art pieces aren’t just aesthetically pleasing (although they are that), each one also comes packing a socially relevant message. Add that to the fact that Teacher is rolling out fresh new imagery and messages every week. And top it off with Teacher’s continually hitting some of the biggest, highest, hottest spots in town, and it becomes clear why Teacher has earned this street cred. And the best part is that Teacher is a great guy in person. He really is a nice, positive person, and like his tattoos say, Teacher really strives to ‘Be The Change You Want To See’ in the world. Here is an action shot of Teacher stenciling a piece at ‘Art Show 2011′. More HERE . Originally posted here: Gregory Linton: Come Participate in Mr. Brainwash’s ‘Art Show 2011′
French Family’s Home Hit by 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite
Meteorite is the size of an egg, and traveled from belt between Jupiter and Mars. Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS Read more: French Family’s Home Hit by 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite
Did Jon Bon Jovi Catch Case of Real Estate Fickle?
The New York Post reported yesterday that sensationally successful 40-something year old pop-rock musician Jon Bon Jovi is quietly shopping his newly renovated New York City duplex penthouse with a mind-melding asking price of around $45,000,000. Mister Bon Jovi recently completed a multimillion dollar renovation of the building topper but at the time he paid $24,000,000 for the clean-lined contemporary aerie in the SoHo ‘hood back in June 2007 the sprawling 7,437 square foot penthouse then encompassed 6 bedrooms, 5 full and 3 half bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 2 fireplaces, and a prairie-sized open-plan living/dining/kitchen area with vast walls of floor to ceiling windows that spill out on to not just one but two titanic city view terraces, one outfitted with built-in outdoor kitchen/barbecue center. In addition to the four family bedrooms each equipped with en suite bathroom, the penthouse included a lower level master suite with dressing area and 1.5 bathrooms and an upper level master suite with window-lined private study, custom-fitted walk-in closet, and sybaritic bathroom. Mister Bon Jovi’s posh penthouse pad sits atop The New Museum Building , a supuh -swank, cast iron structure that has long attracted the famous and the fabulous. Hunky and handsome hotelier/property developer Andre Balazs –He-rah of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, The Mercer in New York City, and Sunset Beach on Shelter Island and The Standard Hotels in L.A., N.Y.C. and Miami –owns a high floor condo he bought in 2003 for $5,750,000 and unsuccessfully attempted to unload in 2006 for $10,000,000. Swiss-born celebrity and fashion photographer Raymond Meier owns a magnificently minimalist high-floor spread he hoisted on the market in May 2010 for $11,950,000 . The Good Wife actress Julia Margulies reportedly took a spin through the expansive and spare space that no longer appears listed on the open market. French art director and creative hurricane Fabien Baron owns an even more minimal and über -meticulously finished Deborah Berke -designed residence that measures 4,171 square feet and was also on the market for about six months in 2010 with a $7,450,000 price tag. Calvin’s daughter Marci Klein–an Emmy winning producer for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock –owns a 4,579 square foot spread she bought in May 2006 for $10,000,000 and until he hung himself with a dog’s leash in December 2010, imprisoned Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff’s son Mark and his family used to live in a 4 th floor unit he and wife-widow Stephanie bought in June 2005 for $6,075,000. In addition to the Manhattan penthouse he now longer wants, Mister Bon Jovi also owns a rather impressive and sizable estate/compound on the banks of the Navesink River in affluent and rather charming Red Bank, NJ. floor plan: Prudential Douglas Elliman See the article here: Did Jon Bon Jovi Catch Case of Real Estate Fickle?
