from my sketchbook: miroslava

Barely a teenager, Miroslava Šternová fled her native Czechoslovakia with her adoptive parents as the country was on the verge of war in 1930. The family headed to North America and settled in Mexico. Young Miroslava entered and won a beauty contest and briefly visited Los Angeles to try her hand at acting. Her exotic …

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IF: home

Elisa Lam last called home on January 31, 2013. Then, she disappeared. Soon, some guests in the Cecil Hotel began to complain about low water pressure. The front desk of the Los Angeles Skid Row hotel received additional calls about black water when faucets or showers were turned on. After nearly three weeks (coinciding with Elisa Lam’s disappearance), a …

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from my sketchbook: cathy downs

A talent scout from 20th Century Fox spotted dark-haired Vogue model Cathy Downs and brought her to Hollywood. After a few uncredited roles , including State Fair and a biopic about The Dolly Sisters, Cathy was cast in the titular role in the John Ford Western My Darling Clementine, a mostly inaccurate account of the …

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IF: light

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross As a young student of psychiatric medicine, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was shocked by the hospital treatment of patients in the United States …

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happy holidays 2014 from JPiC

My annual Christmas music compilation is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time. This year, it’s 29  holiday songs that run the gamut from big band swing to hipster cool, plus a custom full-color cover with track listings – all for you and all for FREE! (That’s two more songs than last year!) Just …

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from my sketchbook: savannah

Despite a stint on the high school cheerleading squad, Shannon Wilsey was not happy. Her parents divorced when she was only two and she was shipped off from her Texas home to live with her grandparents in southern California. While still in high school, the willowy blond began dating rock star Gregg Allman, who was …

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