#Angulo Brothers

[enlightenedpictures]

Uncovering Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known Documentary Films Worth Watching

Documentary films hold a unique power in the realm of storytelling. They serve not only as a window into the lives of others but also as a mirror reflecting our own experiences, emotions, and societal issues. While mainstream documentaries often receive the lion's share of attention, there exists a treasure trove of lesser-known films that deserve to be spotlighted. This article aims to uncover these hidden gems, showcasing remarkable documentary films that provide profound insights and inspire viewers in unexpected ways.

The Art of Documentary Storytelling

Documentary filmmaking is a craft rooted in the art of storytelling. At its core, a documentary film captures reality and presents it through a narrative lens, allowing viewers to engage with the subject matter on a deeper level. Unlike scripted narratives, documentaries often rely on real-life events and individuals, offering authenticity that resonates with audiences. This authenticity is particularly evident in films that explore unique perspectives or untold stories.

For example, films like "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" or "20 Feet from Stardom" have gained popularity for their compelling narratives and emotional depth. Yet, there are countless other documentaries that, while perhaps less known, offer equally enriching experiences. These films often delve into niche topics, cultural phenomena, or personal stories that challenge conventional thinking and broaden our understanding of the world.

Exploring Lesser-Known Documentary Films

1. The Act of Killing

One of the most striking examples of a lesser-known documentary is "The Act of Killing," directed by Joshua Oppenheimer. This groundbreaking film explores the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-66 through the eyes of the perpetrators themselves. Rather than focusing solely on the historical events, Oppenheimer invites former death squad leaders to reenact their crimes in whatever cinematic style they choose, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. This audacious approach not only confronts the brutal past but also raises questions about guilt, morality, and the nature of evil. The film challenges viewers to grapple with uncomfortable truths, making it a powerful addition to the documentary canon.

2. Jiro Dreams of Sushi

In the culinary world, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of Jiro Ono, an esteemed sushi chef in Tokyo. While it may not be as obscure as some other documentaries, its meditative exploration of passion, dedication, and the pursuit of perfection sheds light on the artistry behind sushi-making. The film captures the meticulous process of crafting sushi, showcasing Jiro's relentless commitment to his craft and the profound respect he holds for his ingredients. Beyond the world of gastronomy, this documentary serves as an inspiring reminder of the beauty of mastery and the importance of chasing one's dreams.

3. The Wolfpack

Another hidden gem is "The Wolfpack," directed by Crystal Moselle. This documentary tells the extraordinary story of the Angulo brothers, who were raised in isolation in a New York City apartment, heavily influenced by films they watched. The film offers an intimate look at their lives, showcasing how they used film as a means of escape and creativity. The brothers' unique perspective on life and their eventual exploration of the outside world provide a captivating narrative that raises questions about identity, family, and the impact of media on our lives.

4. My Architect

Directed by Nathaniel Kahn, "My Architect" is a deeply personal documentary that explores the life and work of architect Louis Kahn, Nathaniel's estranged father. The film combines interviews, archival footage, and visits to Kahn's iconic buildings to create a portrait of a complex man whose visionary designs were often overshadowed by his tumultuous personal life. This documentary offers a poignant exploration of legacy, creativity, and the quest for understanding one's roots, making it a compelling watch for both architecture enthusiasts and those interested in familial relationships.

5. The Battered Bastards of Baseball

For sports enthusiasts, "The Battered Bastards of Baseball" is a delightful documentary that recounts the story of the Portland Mavericks, an independent baseball team founded by Bing Russell, father of actor Kurt Russell. The film chronicles the team's rise and fall, highlighting the unorthodox approach to baseball and the sense of community that surrounded it. Through interviews with players and archival footage, the documentary captures the spirit of the Mavericks and their defiance against the traditional baseball establishment. This film serves as a reminder of the joy of the game and the power of passion in the face of adversity.

6. The Imposter

In the world of psychological thrillers, "The Imposter" stands out as a riveting documentary that explores the bizarre case of Frédéric Bourdin, a con artist who posed as a missing Texas boy. The film intricately weaves interviews, reenactments, and real footage to unravel the complexities of identity and deception. Viewers are drawn into the twisted narrative, grappling with questions about truth and perception. As the story unfolds, it becomes a reflection on the nature of family and the lengths to which individuals will go to belong.

The Impact of Lesser-Known Documentaries on Society

Lesser-known documentary films often tackle themes that resonate deeply with audiences, addressing social issues, cultural norms, and personal struggles. By shining a light on these narratives, filmmakers contribute to a broader dialogue about the human experience. These documentaries can serve as catalysts for change, encouraging viewers to engage with the world around them in meaningful ways.

For instance, documentaries like "The Act of Killing" and "The Wolfpack" challenge viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about violence and isolation, fostering empathy and understanding. On the other hand, films like "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" and "The Battered Bastards of Baseball" celebrate the beauty of craftsmanship and the power of community, reminding us of the joy that can be found in passion and collaboration.

As audiences increasingly seek out diverse perspectives and narratives, the demand for lesser-known documentary films continues to grow. Platforms such as streaming services and independent film festivals have made it easier for these hidden gems to reach a wider audience. In doing so, they have the potential to reshape cultural discourse, elevate marginalized voices, and inspire positive change.

Conclusion: The Enduring Power of Documentary Films

In a world inundated with information, documentary films offer a unique lens through which we can explore the complexities of life. The lesser-known gems highlighted in this article serve as a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of diverse narratives. By engaging with these films, viewers can broaden their understanding of the human experience and cultivate a deeper empathy for those whose stories might otherwise go unheard.

As we continue to uncover these hidden gems, we embrace the opportunity to learn, reflect, and connect with the world around us. The impact of documentary films extends far beyond the screen, shaping our perspectives and inspiring action. Whether you’re a seasoned documentary enthusiast or a newcomer to the genre, these lesser-known films are worth exploring, as they possess the potential to enlighten and transform.

For those interested in delving deeper into the realm of documentary filmmaking, consider reaching out to professionals like Enlightened Pictures, whose expertise in crafting compelling narratives can help bring your vision to life. By partnering with experienced filmmakers, you can contribute to the ongoing legacy of powerful documentary storytelling that enriches our understanding of the world. Explore more about documentary films at Enlightened Pictures.

[ninalecorre]

[theclassof2018]

April 10th

The Wolfpack is the incredible true story of the Angulos, six brothers whom were confined and homeschooled by their parents in a small apartment in Lower East Side New York City,  in the centre of a world class metropolis, but very much alone from the world. Barred from the complex world outside for 14 years, their only friend was the movies. Their story would obvious be remarkable to any audience. But for me, it was almost too relatable. Not that I was ever confined or homeschooled, but for a period in my life (late intermediate to early high school) I had very few friends, and my life consisted of watching movies, A LOT of movies. It was the time when I could watch Schindler’s List three times in one day (9 hours), or more frequently I’d watch two different movies in one day, after school. I had a dictaphone which I would carry with me and recite into it lines I liked from movies. The TV I used to watch these movies on (mostly VHS, then later DVD) were used to light up my room more than my actual lights did. I re-enacted movies in my bedroom in front of the mirror. I scribbled all over my school books with the rules of Fight Club or the Se7en Deadly Sins, or my ever shifting list of top 15 movies (couldn’t narrow it down to 10). Everything that I didn’t learn from school, I learnt from the movies: phrases from foreign languages, how to act in certain social situations that I had yet to experience in real life, codes of conduct that were upheld by certain characters that just seemed kool: “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything that you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” What heat?! When I was obsessed with this quote, I had yet to experience the touch of a woman, and I was already learning to distance myself from it. When I wasn’t watching movies, I was thinking or doing things related to movies every second of my life. Because it was one of the only things I did in my spare time, I got very good at it. I developed an encyclopedia knowledge on films. I learnt very naturally how scenes worked, what dialogue sounded good, what kind of music to use at which points in a story etc. Most of those knowledge that I obtained I still have today. And the passion I developed for film during that time is perhaps the only reason why I’m still pursuing a career in filmmaking today, it certainly isn’t what little reward or encourage I’ve receive in the last 10 years. That period more than any other shaped who I am and what my life’s path shall be. That was all before my first girlfriend, before the internet became an inseparable part of life, and long before social media. And then I grew up a bit more. Things became complex. I had more of a “life”. But is it for better or for worse? I often wonder why my memory has deteriorated so much in recent years. There was a time that I could recall every small detail of each day. Who I spoke to, exactly what they said, a certain look in their eyes, what they were wearing, and I would able to recall it all months down the track. Now I struggle to remember what I did yesterday, this blog is one way of helping that. But I’m beginning to wonder if it’s indeed a deterioration, or am I simply exposing myself to much more information nowadays. I can’t remember anything because I’m bombarded by Facebook messages, email alerts, newsletters, Instagram stories, twitter updates, and all of this is on top of information I’m actively seeking out every single day on Wikipedia, Youtube and so on and so forth. Undoubtedly, my exposure to a world outside of just movies has unmeasurably enriched my life, and made it a real life, not just a movie life. But I wonder how many of the greats - the thinkers, the doers, the pioneers, the people who were extraordinary and did unimaginable things, how many of them had a rich life outside of their passion.

[ojorun]

“I could have been mad. I could have been angry, bitter or messed up from my childhood experience - but my imagination sets me from that. It helps me see hope, endless opportunities. It sets me free from self-doubt and judging others....Now I am out in the world doing all of these things I’ve always dreamed of doing and its better than anything I could’ve imagined. Imagination isn’t just a fairy-tale or fantasy, it’s you - it’s who you are. It’s the power within you. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you. Believe in it. Nurture it. Your imagination is your freedom.” 

[melanchonim]

a thread of my favorite films since 1990:

2006: pan’s labyrinth (guillermo del torro)

runner ups: volver (pedro almovodar) and babel (alejandro gonzalez iñarritu)

2006 was THE year of Spanish and Mexican cinema. almovodar, cuaron and gonzalez iñarritu ALL directed great films that would turn out to be some of the most formidable entries into Hispanic filmography ever.

though I absolutely love volver and babel, pan’s labyrinth is an absolute goliath of a movie to beat. first the setting of the Spanish Civil War (which is so often overshadowed by the rise of the Third Reich that it’s easy to forget just how brutal the regime was to its own people) was an interesting choice to place a children fantasy in but it was well paid off. second, to have this mix of brutal realism and whimsical imagination to capture the experiences of a child caught up in the midst of war was nothing short of brilliant. there’s much more I can say such as the costume design, the special effects, the action scenes etc etc but I really want to focus on the acting.

ofc ivana baquero was wonderful as the lead and was truly impressive for only being 11 but sergi lopez’ role as the main villain, alex angulo as the doctor, and maribel verdu as mercedes were absolutely amazing. lopez commanded every scene he was in. a brutal, cold, and sadistic man who paints himself in the same colors he viewed his war hero father. I really thought he was going to be redeemed as a way for del torro to play with the evil step parent trope, but nope the father and son hunter scene completely drove those thoughts away. mercedes was also a beautiful character. although she is living her own personal hell, fearing for her brother’s life and living under the same roof as the men responsible for the atrocities around her, she still takes the time to care for a young child who is just as lost and frightened as she. the doctor was hands down my favorite character, despite how little we saw of him. SPOILER! to turn the cheek to a man you know will kill you and still walk away with your head held high knowing every step you take is only prolonging the inevitable … I was in tears. END OF SPOILER

I love that each of the actors were able to capture the subtleties of their characters’s goals and sentiments through sheer expressions alone. this is a caveat in an already wonderfully made film full to the brim with iconic scenes that traumatized many a child (me 😔)

+ as my first del torro movie, pan’s labyrinth will always have a special place in my heart.

[starstruckteacup]

Cottagecore Films (pt. 10)

Elizabeth (1998)

TW: blood, mild gore, torture

starring Cate Blanchett, Christopher Eccleston, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Daniel Craig, Richard Attenborough

This dramatic retelling of the early years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign over England opens at the death of Catholic Queen Mary in 1558, whose demise brings her half-sister Elizabeth to the forefront. Elizabeth must battle the unforgiving French abroad, dangerous conspirators at home, and at times even her own advisors as they push their agenda onto the young queen. As she grows in experience, Elizabeth learns to put her own needs before the mischief of the court and the confusion of unbalanced alliances, declares her undying love for her people, and establishes herself as one of England’s strongest rulers to date.

I really enjoyed the strength and grace carried by the entire film. Overall, the film maintained an air of dramatic tension, but never felt as though it strayed from the truth of Elizabeth’s story. I do think that, at times, the film felt perhaps too historical though, like a documentary. At moments of high stress, such as assassination attempts or uncovering the conspirators, the film felt a little too factual instead of emotional. It continued the same tone and level of emotion throughout, instead of raising it and lowering it with each scene. That said, Blanchett performed impeccably as Elizabeth, bearing the dignity of a monarch so fluidly you might think she truly was one. Every emotional response was executed so fully that it was as if the audience was given a real look into her life, rather than watching a mere biography. Even though many of the actors in this film are well-loved, I feel like the film could have done more with them at times. Eccleston played a manipulative villain who truly believed he had the best intentions for his country, but he was given far less screen time than he deserved. I would have loved a deeper insight into the complexity of this character, which Eccleston tried to deliver fully in every scene, but there simply wasn’t enough time with him. Similarly, Craig was on screen for mere moments at a time, with few to no lines, yet the audience was expected to fear him and worry for Elizabeth’s safety. Craig’s character was truly menacing, namely in the scene where he walks down the hall in the dark with his robes billowing, but we saw so little of him that he felt almost insignificant to the overall story. The film was over two hours, but with this cast I would have loved to see a limited series or something of that nature, just to provide more depth to the story. As a side note, I don’t know how historically accurate this film was, so I’m not going to comment extensively on that. If that was something you were looking for, you won’t find it here. 7/10

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

TW: blood, gore, fascism, war

starring Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdú, Sergi López, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo

Ofelia, a young girl caught between her love of fantasy and the horrors of fascism surrounding her, finds herself pulled into a mysterious world after she meets a Faun in a nearby haunting labyrinth. The Faun orders her to complete three tasks to prove that her soul is unchanged and that she remains the true princess of the Underworld. As she struggles to complete these tasks, Ofelia’s life is threatened on many occasions, both from the fantastical world of the Faun and the human world she’s forced to remain in. Horror and death strike as her home falls to the revolution, and they quickly catch up with her, even as she strives to protect the life of her newborn brother and understand who she is truly meant to be.

This was an absolutely fascinating film. The settings alone were absolutely haunting, from the camp to the woods to the labyrinth, but most especially the Pale Man’s table. The attention to detail at every point brought this story to life, and truly filled you with constant dread. The way the Captain carried himself, the pile of worn-down shoes in the corner, the pomegranate on the Pale Man’s table, the microexpressions on every character’s face, Ofelia’s green dress (reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, especially within the context of the scene)... Every small detail contributed to the story, even when they aren’t actively moving the plot along. There was never a moment for the audience to feel relief or victory, even as Ofelia overcame trial after trial. I spent the entire film waiting for the next terrible thing to happen, but instead of being exhausting like other movies, this one has me thinking about it nonstop. I watched it the day before writing this, and I can only think of watching it again. I feel like it demands a second viewing to truly understand it, which is a marvelously rare feeling for me. The acting is also truly exceptional. Child actors tend to struggle with conveying complex emotion on screen, but Baquero conducted herself with the grace and skill of any experienced adult. She pulled at the childlike wonder in me, but still grounded my adult side with her gravity. Ofelia carried the burden of trauma, but never relinquished the belief in something more; Baquero conveyed that in a most excellent fashion. All of the actors were phenomenal, but Baquero outshone them. Also a brief aside: Jones was incredible as the Faun and the Pale Man. I’ve never felt so wildly uncomfortable or threatened as I did watching the Pale Man walk around. I hated it viscerally from an emotional standpoint, but from the film and acting perspectives, Jones created something mind-blowing. I definitely had to be mentally and emotionally prepared to watch this film, but it truly was a masterpiece. 10/10

The Garden of Words (2013)

starring Irino Miyu, Hanazawa Kana

Rainy days bring lonesome highschooler, Akizuki Takao, and struggling adult, Yukino Yukari, together at the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Takao shares his dreams of becoming a shoemaker, but Yukari says very little about herself, instead focusing on supporting Takao’s goals. When the rainy season ends, the two don’t see each other for the rest of the summer. When school resumes, Takao accidentally learns a devastating truth about Yukari, but it doesn’t change the way he feels about her. His naive love, however, changes everything.

I greatly enjoyed the aesthetic of this film. It took place mostly in the beautiful gardens, with artistic emphasis on the water, trees, and plants that surround the character. It was truly beautiful to look at, and really serves to push the audience toward visiting the actual garden as well. The artists also focused in great detail on the small movements of the characters; each emotional change was reflected in their movements, which you don’t often see done so gently in any realm of animation. The whole film felt incredibly soft and touching, and truly brought to life the small moments that make living so special. Despite the artistic aspect being so beautifully done, I felt the story to be a bit lacking. While I enjoyed Takao’s story, and much of his process was befitting of a 15 year old boy, I felt that he could’ve been given more depth. Basically all of his potential for personality was crammed into the last five minutes, and what we got was beautiful. I definitely felt that the movie could have been longer than 45 minutes to accommodate this character expansion. The same can be said for Yukari. Her twist was monumental to the plot, but we didn’t get to see what the real impact of it was. She says throughout the film that she has to learn how to walk again, and we learn that she has some kind of physical disorder, but we never learn what that is and how it ties into her mental health, which seems to be addressed as an entirely separate point. We got several scenes of her alone, so even though Takao didn’t know much about her (which fit the story well), the audience certainly would have benefitted from learning more about her character, especially for the climactic end scene. Lastly, their relationship was kind of natural, if uncomfortable, at first--it makes sense for Takao, a young impressionable teenager, to fall in love with an older woman--but then it takes a turn for the hugely unhealthy--Yukari puts the burden of her own mental health on the shoulders of a boy--and this is implied to be okay. The film didn’t outright condone it, but it also didn’t condemn the potentially toxic dynamic. I wouldn’t say it was a pedophilic relationship by any means, but it was definitely unhealthy at its core; you could see hints of it over the course of the film, even though the story maintained its innocence. It’s definitely playing with fire though. 6/10

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Part Seven // Part Eight // Part Nine

[respektnloyalty9]

Carlos Beltrán Leyva - Cartel de los Beltrán Leyva - Mafia México

Little is known about Carlos' role in the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, and reports have differed on the importance of his position within the organization. A warrant had been out for his arrest since 2008. However, a 2008 list of Mexico's 37 top drug traffickers, for which the government offered rewards of as much as $2 million, did not include his name. George W. Grayson, a Mexico expert at The College of William & Mary, described Carlos as "the lowest profile of the brothers".

Carlos Beltrán Leyva was arrested in Culiacán on December 30, 2009, after he was stopped while driving with a forged license. He was found to be in possession of a pistol, a rifle, ammunition and cocaine, and was using the fake name Carlos Gámez Orpineda. The arrest came after a citizen tipped authorities to the presence of an armed man in Culiacán. The arrest was considered another in a string of blows against the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel, which had suffered from the death of Arturo Beltrán Leyva during a gun battle with police two weeks earlier. 

Carlos had not been mentioned by analysts as a possible successor to Arturo, and the fact that he was not accompanied by bodyguards at the time of his arrest may suggest his role in the cartel was limited. Nevertheless, media reports suggested the arrest of Carlos could set the stage for a bruising battle for control of the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. The arrest was considered a victory in President Felipe Calderón's Mexican Drug War, and a signal that the government would not back down in the face of recent reprisals from the death of Arturo Beltrán Leyva, including the murder of family members of Melquisedec Angulo Córdova, a marine killed during the gun battle that killed Arturo Beltrán Leyva.

ESPAÑOL

Fue un capo de una organización criminal dedicada al tráfico de drogas en México, conocida como el Cártel de los Beltrán Leyva, liderado por los Hermanos Beltrán Leyva; Marcos Arturo, Mario Alberto, Carlos, Alfredo y Héctor. Nació en La Palma, en Badiraguato, Sinaloa. Fue capturado la noche del 2 de enero de 2010 por elementos de la Policía Federal en Sinaloa.

[movieslicereviews]

Five Best Documentaries to Stream While Under Quarantine...

The more lonely I get during the quarantine,

the more I have been watching documentaries

and after watching them

I FEEL BETTER

most of the time.  

While right now it’s hard for most of us to go out and

experience life,

we can still live vicariously through these excellent films.

THIS WEEK

I chose documentaries because that’s what I have mostly

 been watching.

They have gotten me through the last week and I hope they can 

do the same for you!

Here is my list of five documentaries worth streaming through the 

quarantine:

SHUT UP LITTLE MAN

STREAMING ON AMAZON PRIME, TUBI and VUDU

RAYMOND

and 

PETER

scream, curse and fight all night long in their San Francisco apartment.

Their arguments were secretly recorded on cassette tapes by the stoners next door and

NEXT THING

the tapes were distributed, plays were made, movies were pitched

 and Raymond and Peter had no idea.

Shut Up Little man might be one the funniest documentaries I have ever seen.

THE WOLFPACK

STREAMING ON HULU, TUBI, and SLING TV

The Angulo Siblings grew up locked inside their Manhattan apartment with little knowledge of the outside world. 

MOVIES

helped the brothers through isolation

and their hobby became obsession,

reenacting their favorite films like 

 RESERVOIR DOGS

and

THE DARK KNIGHT

 with a batman costume made out of cereal boxes and yoga mats.

The documentary is fascinating, surreal and emotionally devastating.

FREE SOLO

STREAMING ON HULU and DISNEY+

There are few films,

DOCUMENTARY

or 

NON DOCUMENTARY

that have put me on the edge of my seat like

FREE SOLO

a film as riveting, gut wrenching and intense as any thriller that’s available for streaming right now.

MINDING THE GAP

STREAMING ON HULU

MINDING THE GAP

is directed by Bing Liu who made this film about himself and his friends

tough up bringing in Rockford, Illinois.  

The result is a deeply personal and emotional experience that only the director can provide.

I watched this film last week and will be feeling this movie for 

a very long time!

HONEYLAND

STREAMING ON HULU

Watching 

HONEYLAND

felt like visiting 

MACADONIA 

 for two hours alongside a warm friendly local woman,

who gives a fascinating tour that provides deep 

insight into her culture and life.

HONEYLAND

 was the closest I came to travelling outside of my studio

apartment last week!

OTHER MUST SEES

I didn’t add Searching for Sugarman (available on Netflix) or Won’t You Be My Neighbor (available on HBO NOW)  since I had them on a recent list.  Each is amazing and worth a watch!

If you think of a good documentary to stream, I would love to hear your suggestions!

Stay safe this week and stay strong!

[ximenalightwood]

How come I didn't know Jesús Angulo and Jesús Angulo are brothers??

[jerrythealien-blog]

Madame Delphine LaLaurie and her House of Horrors

Since this is my first post, this will be a two parter. This part will be on the true crime aspect.

Madame Delphine McCarty was born in 1787 in New Orleans, Louisiana to a well off, white, creole family. Skipping ahead to 1800, at the age of 13 McCarty married her first husband, a high ranking Spanish officer named Don Ramon de Lopez y Angulo, and their marriage ended up making her one of the most powerful women in the state. The two had a good marriage but it didn't last long, in 1804 her husband was called back to Spain and mysteriously died on the way. Though it isn't quite sure why her husband was called back to Spain, it is know that LaLaurie had a daughter during the trip, and when her husband died she returned back to New Orleans.

For the next 4 years, LaLaurie lived alone with her daughter in her New Orleans mansion before marrying her second husband Jean Blanque. Jean Blanque was one of the richest men in the nation (we see she has a type), a well settled merchant, and a banker and lawyer. After the two got married they gave birth to 4 children. Like LaLaurie’s past marriage, it didn't last long, Jean had passed away in 1816 after 8 years of marriage.

LaLaurie’s 3rd a final Marriage was to a doctor named Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie, who treated one of LaLauries daughters (she had issues with her spinal chord and they were never fixed). Before Leonard had married to the Madame, he almost went back to France, but his brother convinced him to stay, and shortly after Leonard and Madame LaLaurie were married in 1825. Unlike LaLauries past marriages, this one was an utter train-wreck. Neighbors would report that they could hear loud arguments between the two, and soon the couple split in 1834, after 9 years of marriage, with Leonard moving out the house. Apparently this third failed marriage, led Madame LaLaurie to insanity, which starts the years and years of abuse.

In 1831, while married to Leonard, LaLaurie bought a three story mansion on Royal street in the french quarter. Like many people in their time, the LaLauries owned slaves, and people were shocked by how nicely Madame LaLaurie treated her slaves, she would show them kindness in public and even went as far as setting two slaves free in 1819 and 1832. Though people always had their suspicions that everything she did was an act.

They did not know how right they were.

There were two things that gave signs that the LaLaurie mansion wasn’t a good place for slaves. One man was so scared of punishment from the Madame, that he threw himself out of a third story window in the mansion (There isn't much information on this suicide), even now you can go to the mansion and see the window the man threw himself out of, which is cemented shut. The second incident is about a 12 year old slave girl named Lia. It’s said that as Lia was brushing LaLaurie’s hair, and she pulled too hard. Enraged, LaLaurie chased her with a whip, Lia ended up running to the roof of the mansion and fell to her death, it isn't known if LaLaurie had pushed her, or if she had jumped. All that was known is that neighbors were able to figure out that all was not well in the household, when they witnessed her burying the girl. At the time there was a law against mistreating slaves, so LaLaurie had to pay a $300 dollar fine and had to sell 9 of her slaves, though nobody protested when she had her family bought them all back and gave them to her.

In 1834, shortly after Leonard had left LaLaurie, a fire had broken out in the mansion, nobody was surprised that the slaves were found last, but they weren't able to predict how grim the conditions were. The first thing found was in the kitchen where the fire broke out, the cook had been chained to the stove, you read right, this 70 year old cook was chained to the stove, no longer being able to deal with the torture, she started the fire and later confessed that she would rather die than live under LaLauries control. As a group of neighbors searched the house, LaLaurie was anxious when they got to the attic, she tried to fight them off but they got through. The inside of that attic could have been mistaken as a portal to hell. Inside were many slaves, in horrible condition. Many slaves were beaten and bloodied, some had eyes gauged out, skin flayed, and mouths filled with waste and sewn shut. Those may seem pretty bad but hey, it gets worse. There was a woman who’s bones were broken, and rearranged to resemble a crab, another woman was wrapped in human intestines (I originally thought they were her own, but I can’t find any proof that it’s true). There were also claims that a few slaves had holes in their head, with wooden spoons near them which were used to stir their brains. There were also rumors of multiple dead bodies littering the ground.

Neighbors of course were enraged by what she was doing to these people, they ransacked her home, chasing her out of New Orleans. Everything after she left was quite unclear, its thought that she had fled to France, some say LaLaurie had died in New Orleans, others say France. Even her death date isn’t for sure known.

Sources:

https://www.historicmysteries.com/madame-lalaurie-female-serial-killer/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/madame-lalaurie

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/delphine-lalaurie-41429.php

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 25 February 2019

Quick Bits:

Action Comics #1008 continues “Leviathan Rising” from Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson, and Josh Reed as the DEO is the next organization to be taken out. Great art from Epting and Anderson as the intrigue continues to unfold .

| Published by DC Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #16 gives us a prelude to “Hunted”. The mix of Nick Spencer’s humour with the subject matter of Kraven setting up an animal villain hunting network feels a little weird, but I want to see where he’s going with this.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #3 adds new wrinkles to the tale as we find out that Nyx’s quest has affected Nightmare while another bunch of the Avengers search for a shard of her power. Love the narration and spotlight on Rocket Raccoon this issue. Great work all around from Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit.

| Published by Marvel

Batgirl #32 concludes “Old Enemies” as Batgirl and Jason Bard reluctantly team-up to stop Cormorant. It doesn’t go as well as you’d hope, with Mairghread Scott leaving a lot of questions for future issues and setting up a continued rivalry. The levels of intrigue through the story are very compelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Betty & Veronica #3 continues the conflict between Betty and Veronica over a misunderstanding. It’s interesting as to how these things come about simply through a lack of communication and willingness to discuss the problems between two friends. Jamie Lee Rotante, Sandra Lanz, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli capture the high school drama very well.

| Published by Archie

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #8 sees the return of Dean Ormston to begin a new arc on a strange new world. Like the revelation before of where the heroes were, this is another big change as we follow Lucy Weber in a relatively “normal” world. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2 sets another high water mark for this rebooted series, capturing the spirit and essence of the original, but updating it for current audiences. The reintroduction of Spike, Drucilla, and Cordelia are great, especially the characterization that Jordie Bellaire gives her. She’s not presented here as a catty mean girl and I think it will lead to a more nuanced, interesting conflict between her and the Scooby Gang in the beginning. Also, the art from Dan Mora and Raúl Angulo is perfect. Seriously perfect.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain America #8 continues this trend of Adam Kubert delivering some of the best art of his career. Kubert has always been a good to great artist, providing memorable work with Wolverine, Uncanny X-Men, and The Incredible Hulk, but in recent years he seems to have given a concerted effort to top his own already high bar of quality. The visual storytelling, panel compositions, layouts and transitions through this issue are phenomenal. Thoroughly gorgeous artwork from Kubert with colours by Frank Martin. 

| Published by Marvel

Crimson Lotus #4 twists the tale again with a bit of misdirection and a demon monkey with a revolver. I think more stories need demon monkeys with guns. John Arcudi, Mindy Lee, Michelle Madsen, and Clem Robins up the stakes heading into the conclusion.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #2 is incredible. Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles seem to be shooting for a masterpiece with “Know Fear” and it’s shaping up very well so far. Gorgeous artwork, coupled with an intriguing mystery, this really isn’t something that should be missed.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics #999 concludes “Mythology” and it basically convinces me that Batman is completely batshit insane at this point. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be my takeaway or not, but it seems to be the most logical conclusion to “Bruce tries to kill himself every year”.

| Published by DC Comics

Fantastic Four #7 continues Doom vs. Galactus. The artwork from Aaron Kuder, John Lucas, Marte Gracia, and Rachelle Rosenberg is incredible. There’s a very nice epic scope to the action.

| Published by Marvel

Fight Club 3 #2 is incredibly inventive. There are quite a few moving pieces that aren’t exactly wholly explained, but it’s amazing as to just how much information is really in the art, with this issue giving more context to what was happening last issue pretty much right in front of us, and I suspect the following issue will likewise better inform this one. This kind of recursive storytelling really fits the fractured mindset of “Balthazar”. Also, the art is insanely good, with very unique application of mirrored concepts and a frame that acts as a portal to somewhere else. Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart, Dave McCaig, and Nate Piekos are really creating something special here.

| Published by Dark Horse

The Flash #65 concludes “The Price” crossover with Batman from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey, and Steve Wands. Spinning out of Heroes in Crisis, it’s a dark conclusion, leaving the heroes kind of beaten down despite a “victory” and Flash’s world more or less in shambles. With an epilogue hinting at worse down the road with “Year of the Villain”, while this is interesting now, I’m not sure how much of a repeat of bleak futures where heroes distrust heroes and everyone loses I can handle. That said, “The Price” itself has been an entertaining arc with some heavy development between Flash and Batman and another important puzzle piece in what’s going on in regards to whoever’s working to bring Batman, and likely every superhero, down. With some phenomenal art from Sandoval, Tarragona, and Morey.

| Published by DC Comics

The Forgotten Queen #1 begins a mini-series focusing on the villain War-Monger, fleshing out her backstory as an unwitting marine archaeological salvage crew search for her, from Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. You needn’t know anything about War Monger’s, now Vexana, previous appearances before as this can pretty much be enjoyed on its own and seems to be acting as a way to really build her up into something greater. To that degree, this is a great start. Compelling stories both in the present and the past, showcasing Vexana seducing Temujin, with very nice art from Pinna and Arreola.

| Published by Valiant

Freedom Fighters #3 pushes hard the plot point that in order to truly help America rise again and fight back against the Nazi occupation is to give the people hope and have them believing in Uncle Sam again. It’s a quaint idea and I love that Robert Venditti tackles the approach from both angles amongst the Freedom Fighters in regards to application of their efforts. Also, again, the artwork from Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas is stunning.

| Published by DC Comics

Hardcore #3 pushes the narrative further over a cliff to the point where Drake is now essentially falling, trying just to survive, as everything pretty much explodes. The action in this series is palpable as Andy Diggle, Alessandro Vitti, Adriano Lucas, and Thomas Mauer seem hellbent on making this as exciting a thrill ride as possible.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hellboy and the BPRD: 1956 #4 is a bit of a turning point with Bruttenholm suffering a loss, the set-up for what happened to Varvara in the intervening years between her early days and the present, and what prompted Bruttenholm to drag back Hellboy. I really quite like Mike Norton’s take on Varvara.

| Published by Dark Horse

Ice Cream Man #10 is part two of “Hopscotch Mélange” and this strange reveal of the history of the Ice Cream Man and his brother the Cowboy. This one gives us a tragic love story, partially in Spanish.

| Published by Image

Invaders #2 deepens the mystery of Namor’s motivating factors and his apparent secret history with Professor Xavier. Carlos Magno handling present day scenes and Butch Guice the past works very well for the storytelling. It gives the flashbacks a dark, gritty feel that separates it from the current day.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #6 sees Dan Abnett take over writing duties, joining Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Andworld Design as the stakes in the Ghost Sector are raised a bit. Among the chaos of this area of space and the repercussions of Darkseid’s designs, there’s a nice character moment between Jessica and Cyborg.

| Published by DC Comics

Martian Manhunter #3 dives into J’onn’s arrival on Earth and how he became John Jones from Steve Orlando, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, and Deron Bennett. While I’m riveted by the overall story, the art from Rossmo and Plascencia continues to be thrilling. Amazing layouts, character designs, panel compositions, and an almost psychedelic approach to the colours elevate this story so much.

| Published by DC Comics

Marvel Comics Presents #2 is still an oddball little anthology, with the serial Wolverine lead and this time a Fantastic Four and a Gorilla-Man back-up. On the one hand, it deals with time and the past, which is a key theme in the Wolverine story and a byproduct of the nature of the Fantastic Four tale, which takes place in the ‘50s. It’s kind of weird seeing something like this taking place in the actual time that it would given the original release of Fantastic Four back in the ‘60s, but Mark Waid, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Dan Brown, and Joe Caramagna give us a decent Cold War story. And then there’s the Laphams’ (with Lee Loughridge and Caramagna) Gorilla-Man story, which is good with Ken dealing with his attitude toward his gorilla spirit, but doesn’t necessarily fit that time or out of time theme.

| Published by Marvel

Oliver #2 delves deeper into the social structure of this world and into Oliver’s nature. Gary Whitta, Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland are giving us a very interesting reimagining of Oliver Twist, with drop dead gorgeous artwork.

| Published by Image

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #2 is brilliant. Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are creating a story here that acts as a de facto sequel to Watchmen on one hand, but is also a very clever deconstruction of that story, its structure, its characters, in order to present something unique. The little human elements of Peter and Tabu are sweet and the art is freaking awesome.

| Published by Dynamite

Punks Not Dead: London Calling #1 is the welcome return of Sid and Fergie in this second series from David Barnett, Martin Simmonds, Dee Cunniffe, and Aditya Bidikar. It picks up pretty much right where the first book left off, and continues the pair’s quest to find Fergie’s dad while the rest of the world deals with the paranormal fallout.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Quincredible #4 sees Glow help Quin rescue his parents, then launch into an investigation of the powers behind the escalating gang warfare. I’ve really been enjoying what Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Tom Napolitano have been doing on this book, with the coming-of-age tale and family drama, but this one really cinches things as it brings together the shared universe aspect of the Catalyst Prime world.

| Published by Lion Forge / Roar / Catalyst Prime

Redlands #11 is somewhat disquieting as we learn more about Z’s dead friend, Jake, who is currently inhabiting Nancy’s dead body. Jordie Bellaire, Vanesa Del Rey, and Clayton Cowles are doing a wonderful job of continuing the disturbing horror elements of this series, while broadening the characters and wider plot.

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #2 travels deep into Stygia as Conan and Suty search for the treasure from the map burned into Conan’s mind, while navigating through the terror unleashed by Koga Thun’s cult. While a bit more straightforward in its narrative, this tale from Gerry Duggan, Ron Garney, Richard Isanove, and Travis Lanham is holding its own against the equally excellent story unfolding in Conan the Barbarian. Like that one, this feels like Conan. It feels weighty, bloody, and dangerous with a compelling quest in front of him.

| Published by Marvel

The Silencer #14 starts a new arc from Dan Abnett, V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano as Honor gets accustomed to her new old role as Leviathan’s cleaner. Great action sequences as always, plus the added benefit of Honor’s husband investigating her life since he can’t accept that she’s dead. That should add some interesting complications down the road.

| Published by DC Comics

Star Trek: The Q Conflict #2 divides up the crews amongst teams for the immortals and sets them off on their first challenge, to recover an Iconian gateway device. I think this is a very interesting way for a crossover between the different eras to occur and the art from David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Alessandra Alexakis, and Carola Borelli is wonderful.

| Published by IDW

The Superior Spider-Man #3 concludes Ock’s battle with Terrax. This is really a wonderful showcase for the art from Mike Hawthorne, Wade von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire. The action throughout the issue is very well done.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #8 has Jeff, the land shark puppy, and that’s all you really need to know about whether or not you should buy this. Because you should. For Jeff. Do it for Jeff. Also, there’s an interesting plot regarding abductions that Noh-Varr thinks is Skrulls, but you mainly want this for Jeff. Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, and Joe Caramagna deliver a fun start to this next arc.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Woman #65 concludes “The Grudge” as Wonder Woman confronts Nemesis again, gains a new understanding, and sets off on a new quest. Nice art from Jesus Merino, Andy Owens, and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

| Published by DC Comics

Wyrd #2 continues this entertaining madness from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers, with possibly and even more out there back up from Rockwell White, Pires, Martoz, and Myers. This go around, we get the British Prime Minister getting his kit off with a pig and gaining supernatural powers. It’s dark, it’s strange, but it’s also very good.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Atomic Robo: Dawn of a New Era #3, The Avant-Guards #2, Black Panther #9, Bone Parish #7, Books of Magic #5, Captain Marvel: Braver & Mightier #1, Cloak & Dagger: Negative Exposure #3, Corto Maltese: The Secret Rose, Die!Die!Die! #8, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #5, Firefly #4, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos #3, Hex Wives #5, Invader Zim #40, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #11, John Wick #5, KINO #14, Mage: The Hero Denied #15, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #36, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #40, Old Lady Harley #5, Outcast #39, Princeless: Find Yourself #5, The Realm #11, Rick & Morty #47, Rose #17, Spawn #294, Star Trek vs. Transformers #5, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #29, Summit #13, Wasted Space #7, The Wicked + The Divine #42

Recommended Collections: Barbarella - Volume 2: Hard Labor, BPRD: Vampire, Clankillers - Volume 1, Cold Spots, Cyber Force: Awakening - Volume 2, Euthanauts - Volume 1: Ground Control, Faith: Dreamside, Fire, Ninja-K - Volume 3: Fallout, Redneck - Volume 3: Longhorns, Spider-Geddon: Covert Ops, Typhoid Fever, The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown, The Weatherman - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy is running out of things to say in his end piece credit attribution. Tune in next time to find out if it’s finally done him in.

[moonwalkertrance]

‘My whole town practically lived there’: From Costa Rica to New Jersey, a pipeline of illegal workers for Trump goes back years

At his home on the misty slope of Costa Rica’s tallest mountain, Dario Angulo keeps a set of photographs from the years he tended the rolling fairways and clipped greens of a faraway American golf resort.

Angulo learned to drive backhoes and bulldozers, carving water hazards and tee boxes out of former horse pastures in Bedminster, N.J., where a famous New Yorker was building a world-class course. Angulo earned $8 an hour, a fraction of what a state-licensed heavy equipment operator would make, with no benefits or overtime pay. But he stayed seven years on the grounds crew, saving enough for a small piece of land and some cattle back home.

Now the 34-year-old lives with his wife and daughters in a sturdy house built by “Trump money,” as he put it, with a porch to watch the sun go down.

It’s a common story in this small town.

Other former employees of President Trump’s company live nearby: men who once raked the sand traps and pushed mowers through thick heat on Trump’s prized golf property — the “Summer White House,” as aides have called it — where his daughter Ivanka got married and where he wants to build a family cemetery.

“Many of us helped him get what he has today,” Angulo said. “This golf course was built by illegals.”

Dario Angulo at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (Courtesy of Dario Angulo)

Dario Angulo with his cattle in Santa Teresa de Cajon. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

The Washington Post spoke with 16 men and women from Costa Rica and other Latin American countries, including six in Santa Teresa de Cajon, who said they were employed at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. All of them said that they worked for Trump without legal status — and that their managers knew.

The former employees who still live in New Jersey provided pay slips documenting their work at the Bedminster club. They identified friends and relatives in Costa Rica who also were employed at the course. In Costa Rica, The Post located former workers in two regions who provided detailed accounts of their time at the Bedminster property and shared memorabilia they had kept, such as Trump-branded golf tees, as well as photos of themselves at the club.

The brightly painted homes that line the road in Santa Teresa de Cajon, many paid for by wages earned 4,000 miles away, are the fruits of a long-running pipeline of illegal workers to the president’s course, one that carried far more than a few unauthorized employees who slipped through the cracks.

Soon after Trump broke ground at Bedminster in 2002 with a golden shovel, this village emerged as a wellspring of low-paid labor for the private club, which charges tens of thousands of dollars to join. Over the years, dozens of workers from Costa Rica went north to fill jobs as groundskeepers, housekeepers and dishwashers at Bedminster, former employees said. The club hired others from El Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala who spoke to The Post. Many ended up in the blue-collar borough of Bound Brook, N.J., piling into vans before dawn to head to the course each morning.

Their descriptions of Bedminster’s long reliance on illegal workers are bolstered by a newly obtained police report showing that the club’s head of security was told in 2011 about an employee suspected of using false identification papers — the first known documentation of a warning to the Trump Organization about the legal status of a worker.

Other supervisors received similar flags over the years. A worker from Ecuador said she told Bedminster’s general manager several years ago that she entered the country illegally.

Eric Trump, a son of the president who runs the Trump Organization along with his brother Donald Trump Jr., declined to comment on the accounts by the former workers. Bedminster managers did not return requests for comment.

The company’s recent purge of unauthorized workers from at least five Trump properties contributes to mounting evidence that the president benefited for years from the work of illegal laborers he now vilifies.

[Trump’s golf course employed undocumented workers — and then fired them amid showdown over border wall]

It remains unclear what measures Trump or his company took to avoid hiring such workers, even after he launched a White House bid built on the threat he says they pose to Americans.

Amid Trump’s push for a border wall, there has been little public discussion of how U.S. employers — including the president himself — have generated demand for unlawful workers.

White House officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Eric Trump has said he and other senior Trump Organization executives did not know the company hired illegal workers, noting that the employees used falsified documents.

“We have tens of thousands of employees across our properties and have very strict hiring practices,” the company said in a statement in December. “If any employee submitted false documentation in an attempt to circumvent the law, they will be terminated immediately. We take this issue very seriously.”

Trump speaks during a meeting with business leaders at the Bedminster club in August.

'It's been a very open secret'

Over the years, the network from Costa Rica to Bedminster expanded as workers recruited friends and relatives, some flying to the United States on tourist visas and others paying smugglers thousands of dollars to help them cross the U.S.-Mexico border, former employees said. New hires needed little more than a crudely printed phony green card and a fake Social Security number to land a job, they said.

Some workers described Bedminster as their launchpad to buy homes and start businesses. Others remembered it as grueling labor under bosses who were demanding, even bigoted — and who at times used the workers’ illegal status against them.

After the New York Times in December reported about two housekeepers without legal status who worked at Bedminster, the Trump Organization fired at least 18 employees at five golf courses in New York and New Jersey, part of what Eric Trump has said is “a broad effort” to identify unauthorized workers. An additional undisclosed number were fired from Bedminster, former employees said.

[Purge of undocumented workers by the president’s company spreads to at least 5 Trump golf courses]

“Our employees are like family, but when presented with fake documents, an employer has little choice,” Eric Trump told The Post last month.

“This situation is not unique to Trump Organization — it is one that all companies face,” he added. “It demonstrates that our immigration system is severely broken and needs to be fixed immediately.”

As president, his father has repeatedly called for a crackdown on illegal immigration.

“No issue better illustrates the divide between America’s working class and America’s political class than illegal immigration,” Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday. “Tolerance for illegal immigration is not compassionate — it is cruel.”

But the lax hiring practices at Bedminster and other Trump properties described by former employees — including some who said their supervisors discussed their fake documents — stand in sharp contrast with Trump’s rhetoric.

While other top-tier U.S. golf courses adopted the federal government’s E-Verify system to check the immigration status of potential hires, the Trump Organization is only now planning to implement it throughout its properties — even though then-candidate Donald Trump claimed in 2016 he was using it across his company.

Of 12 Trump golf courses in the United States, three of them — in North Carolina, Southern California and Doral, Fla. — are enrolled in the E-Verify system, according to a federal database. Eric Trump said that “a few” other clubs, including a Trump course in the Bronx, use a private vendor to screen new applicants.  

[Trump’s company plans to expand check of employees’ legal status following report that it hired undocumented workers for years]

The government has offered employers electronic verification services since 1997 and introduced the E-Verify system in 2007 to allow companies to screen new hires online. Nearly 750,000 U.S. employers are enrolled in the program, according to the latest government figures.

ClubCorp, the nation’s largest operator of private golf and country clubs, has used E-Verify for all new hires since 2012, according to company executives.

Trump last year proposed making the E-Verify program mandatory nationwide, calling it one of his immigration policy priorities.

Employers have an obligation to verify an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States and can face a range of civil and criminal penalties for hiring illegal workers, according to immigration lawyers. When an employee submits documents such as a permanent resident card or Social Security card, employers have a responsibility to examine those documents.

If an employer pays payroll taxes for an employee whose name does not match their Social Security number, the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration may send the employer what’s called a “no-match” letter.

Such a letter does not trigger any immigration proceedings or require the employer to fire the employee. Instead, it alerts the employer to ask the employee to resolve the problem by correcting the government record, said Anastasia Tonello, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

In Bound Brook, a majority-Hispanic town where many of the area’s blue-collar workers live, the presence of illegal workers on Trump’s staff was widely known, according to people in the community.

“It was far more systematic than two or three housekeepers,” said Joyce Phipps, executive director of Casa de Esperanza, a legal aid organization for immigrants, who said she has had several clients who were Bedminster employees. “It’s been a very open secret.”

Costa Rica native Marco Gamboa Fallas, during his time as a groundskeeper at the Bedminster club. (Courtesy of Marco Gamboa Fallas)

Marco Gamboa Fallas stands in front of his home in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Answering the call

Santa Teresa de Cajon is little more than a ribbon of road set amid coffee farms and cattle pastures on the flank of 12,500-foot Mount Chirripo. Young men zip along on dirt bikes, running errands up and down the mountain.

For those growing up here, as elsewhere in Central America, the risky trip north to the United States can mean seed money for a decent life.

Juan Carlos Zuñiga left Santa Teresa to make that journey in 2002. At the U.S.-Mexico border, he said, he scaled a 10-foot fence and jumped into Nogales, Ariz. He bought his first fake documents in Las Vegas — adopting the name Juan Lara — and hopped on a flight to New Jersey.

Zuñiga had a cousin who worked on a horse farm in genteel Bedminster Township. A nearby property needed workers, his cousin told him.

Trump had purchased the 520-acre Lamington Farm, with its brick manor house and rolling horse pastures. The estate was once owned by John DeLorean, an automobile engineer who invented the namesake sports car.

“This is a special place,” Trump told a crowd of some 100 people gathered in October 2002 for the groundbreaking ceremony, according to the Courier News.

At the time, the Newark Star-Ledger reported that Trump was lavishing money on the project, “flying in masons, carpenters, landscapers and bulldozer operators from around the world and housing them on-site.”

Some of the first Costa Ricans hired to build Trump National Golf Club Bedminster — Zuñiga, Angulo, and their Santa Teresa neighbor Abel Mora, among others — remember it as punishing work. They labored from dawn until late evening, seven days a week, raking and hauling mountains of earth moved by heavy machinery and shaping it into golf holes.

Construction is in progress at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. (Courtesy of Juan Carlos Zuñiga)

The clubhouse of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Nov. 18, 2016.

“It was rake, rake, rake, the whole day,” Zuñiga said.

There was also seeding, watering, mowing, building the sand traps and driving bulldozers, mini-excavators and loaders — all while they earned about $10 an hour or less, they said.

Around that time, a licensed heavy equipment operator in central New Jersey would have received an average of $51 to $55 per hour in wages and benefits, according to union officials at the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 in the nearby town of Springfield.

As the golf course took shape, more hands were needed. Bosses told Zuñiga and his friends to bring workers. The town of Santa Teresa answered the call.

Donald Trump wields a golden shovel at the 2002 groundbreaking of Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. (Zuma Press/Alamy)

Mariano Quesada, an early greenskeeper at the club from the village, rented out a duplex in Bound Brook to several other Costa Ricans. His wife, Angela, said she would wake up before dawn to cook breakfasts and lunches for as many as 22 people on the Bedminster maintenance staff.

The laborers were coming not only from Santa Teresa de Cajon, but also from other parts of Costa Rica and around Latin America. Before long, so many were working on the course — more than 100, by workers’ estimates — that Zuñiga’s cousin began charging workers for rides to Bedminster. He had two vans in circulation morning and night. When that wasn’t enough, he bought a used school bus, Zuñiga said.

“For me, moving to the U.S. wasn’t a very drastic change,” said Mauricio Garro, 36, who worked in maintenance at the golf course for five years until he returned to Santa Teresa in 2010. “My whole town practically lived there.”

To get a job at Trump National, the Costa Ricans — as well as Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Mexicans who were employed by the club — would purchase fake green cards and Social Security numbers in Bound Brook and neighboring towns.

These were easy to come by. Sandra Diaz, a housekeeper from Poas de Aserri, Costa Rica, got photos taken at Walgreens and paid a friend of hers $50 for fake papers. Ana Vasquez, an immigrant from El Salvador who bused tables in the club’s restaurant, went to neighboring Plainfield to buy her phony Social Security card alias, “Yohana Pineda.”

Before going to her interview, Vasquez asked a friend if the club would hire people who used fake documents.

“I thought, ‘This is a place with a very famous owner,’ ” she recalled. “My friend said there was nothing to worry about. She told me, ‘They don’t care.’ ”

'We don't have good papers'

Several former workers said that managers in housekeeping and maintenance were well aware their documents were fraudulent — but hired them anyway. Housekeeper Gilberta Dominguez said her manager filled out her application in 2016 because she didn’t speak English.

“And I said, ‘Listen, we don’t have good papers,’ ” Dominguez, of Oaxaca, Mexico, recalled telling her manager. “She said, ‘It doesn’t matter; don’t talk about that.’ ”

In 2005, Zuñiga said, he decided that it was better to be working at Bedminster under his own name in case he got hurt on the job. He purchased new fake documents and turned those in to his supervisors. Juan Lara was suddenly Juan Carlos Zuñiga. His bosses didn’t flinch, he said.

“They were making jokes about the Social Security cards in the office, because they looked so fake,” he recalled. “They would joke that my name was Juan Lara at the beginning.”

In 2011, Hank Protinsky, then the club’s head of security, was warned by local police that an employee could be using fake papers, according to a police report obtained by The Post through a public records request.

The worker’s status was discovered when the Bedminster Township Police Department investigated a hit-and-run accident on the course and questioned a man identified as the driver: a club employee working under the name Reinaldo Villareal.

When Officer Thomas Polito spoke to Villareal, he “told me that his real name was Fredis Otero and that he was working under a false name and social security numbers,” Polito wrote.

Otero, a native of Colombia, told police that he had arrived in the United States as a cabin steward on a cruise ship and walked off the ship when it docked in Miami in 2010. He obtained a three-month vacation visa, then bought a fake Social Security card and U.S. permanent resident card and used them to get hired at Trump’s course, according to the report.

Polito wrote in the police report that he told Protinsky his employee “may be using a false name and government documentation.”

The head of security gave the police officer a copy of Villareal’s employment application, which showed that while his resident card listed his first name as “Reynaldo,” his application spelled it “Reinaldo,” the report said.

Police arrested Otero and contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about his case. ICE confirmed Friday that it took custody of Otero and that he left the United States in August 2011.

The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment. Protinsky — who has since left the course — declined to comment.

Other former workers said their jobs at Bedminster, along with Trump’s popularity with local law enforcement agencies, afforded them a degree of protection despite their immigration status.

One former kitchen staffer from Ecuador still carries an ID card with her name and photo that says she is a “supporter” of a foundation that provides scholarships to the children of New Jersey State Police. She said she got the card at a golf tournament the charity held at Bedminster. The foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

Mariano Quesada, then a greenskeeper, drives at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. (Courtesy of Mariano Quesada)

Quesada poses for a portrait near Santa Teresa de Cajon in January. (Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

At times, rifts between legal employees and those without papers were occasionally laid bare in front of the managers.

Emma Torres, a housekeeper from Ecuador, said that in mid-2015, she complained to the club’s general manager, David Schutzenhofer, about a supervisor who blocked her from taking a lunch break and frequently berated her for not speaking English.

During the meeting, she said Schutzenhofer asked her if she was going to file a complaint with the state labor department. Torres told him that would be impossible.

“I told him no, because I didn’t have papers,” she said.

Trump had recently launched his presidential campaign, vowing to build a border wall. Torres said she asked Schutzenhofer why Trump spoke so harshly about immigrants.

“This is just politics,” he said.

Torres stayed at the club but was reassigned to the kitchen.

The Post contacted Schutzenhofer and two dozen current and former managers at Bedminster — including those identified by the workers as their supervisors — and asked if they were aware that the club employed people without legal status. Most either declined to comment or did not respond.

One former groundskeeping manager responded only by sending The Post an animated image of Trump saying, “I have great relationships with the Mexican people.”

Another former manager, who confirmed working closely with both Zuñiga and Garro, said, “I think everyone was in the dark. We all assumed they were legal.” That manager spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve relationships in the golf industry.

Ed Russo, an environmental consultant who worked on the Bedminster project and was remembered by one of the Costa Ricans as a supervisor, declined to address whether he was aware illegal workers were hired for the project.

“Are you documented?” Russo asked a reporter. “You’re not going to get anything from me.”

Over the years, Trump family members have emphasized their deep involvement in properties that carry their name.

“People think of Trump as being just a face, just a brand,” Eric Trump said in a 2011 promotional video about the company’s golf courses. “We design every single tee, every fairway. . . . We pick the carpets. We pick the chandeliers. There is not one element of these clubhouses which we don’t know about it. You name it — we’re involved.”

Franklin Mora, who said he worked without legal status at the Bedminster club, poses for a portrait near Santa Teresa de Cajon in January. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

A hat worn by a former worker at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster is displayed in a home in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

A former Bedminster worker in San Jose, Costa Rica, holds golf tees from the club. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

Abel Mora, a former greenskeeper, is pictured in Santa Teresa de Cajon. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

'We had to be invisible'

Donald Trump himself was an imperious but mostly distant figure for the illegal workers, who in the early years at Bedminster would be told to make themselves scarce when “the big boss” would arrive by helicopter.

Groundskeepers would stay inside a converted horse barn used to store tools and machinery or go into the woods to wait, they said.

“When he arrived, we had to hide,” said Alan Mora, a former greenskeeper who helped build the driving range and who now works as a security guard at a resort hotel in Santa Teresa. “We had to be invisible.”

On days Trump dined in the club’s restaurant, Vasquez said she and five other Spanish-speaking women working illegally at the club in 2004 and 2005 were sent upstairs by their supervisor to fold napkins and buff the glassware, and kept out of sight.

“They would tell us it was because the restaurant was hosting an important event, and only the workers who could speak English could be there,” she said.

Trump was also known for his occasional largesse. The housekeepers who cleaned his villa noted neat stacks of $20, $50 and $100 bills on his bedside table, which Trump would dole out as tips as he golfed or strolled the grounds. He would sometimes warmly greet employees and compliment them as he inspected their work.

Trump’s election did not bring any added scrutiny to his workers’ immigration status, former employees said. Torres said superiors kept her name and those of other workers without legal status off a list of people to be vetted by the Secret Service before a Trump visit to the club in 2016.

Another former employee who arrived in the United States in 2018 on a tourist visa and worked as a groundskeeper said his manager only asked for his nationality in preparation for a Trump visit. He told him that he was from Costa Rica.

Groundskeepers were given a general warning not to bring drugs, weapons or explosives to work, a request he found amusing.

“It was very light security, very normal,” said the employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he hopes to return to the United States. “Here in Costa Rica, to enter someone’s home, they would ask for more. They want you to identify yourself. Over there, that didn’t happen.”

Many of the Bedminster workers from Costa Rica lived in Bound Brook, N.J., piling into vans each morning for the 30-minute drive to the course. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

A divided workforce

The long-standing presence of unauthorized workers at Bedminster created a culture in which employees were stratified by immigration status and English-language proficiency, former employees said.

At the top were the professional staff and senior managers who spoke little or no Spanish. Below them were mid-level supervisors who were often immigrants themselves and able to converse in both languages.

Many without legal status told The Post they did not receive health benefits, while they heard other colleagues did.

Groundskeepers would work through storms, snow and glaring sun with little protection.

One rainy day in 2007, Zuñiga said, he and other greenskeepers staged a one-day strike, refusing to leave a maintenance building until supervisors agreed to pay them for sick days.

The maintenance manager eventually conceded and offered rain jackets to the greenskeepers. Some of the longer-serving staff members were offered health insurance, too.

“This was the first protest by the Hispanics,” Zuñiga said.

Franklin Mora, who quit after a year on the grounds crew, said that his manager would mock his limited English and spoke harshly to the Hispanic employees. The manager required them to set their mowers at a pace that required them to jog to keep up in a fashion he viewed as humiliating.

“They treated us like slaves,” he said.

The experience left Mora so bitter he said he wouldn’t return to the United States even as a tourist.

Still, others remain hopeful they will get to go back to Bedminster as part of a seasonal workforce that swells every spring.

In Santa Teresa de Cajon, some former Trump workers recall their New Jersey years as a rite of passage — not unlike military service or leaving home for college. They learned to cook their own meals, clean up after themselves and endure freezing winters and homesickness.

“The golf course is the best thing that has happened in my life,” said Angulo, who now earns his living raising cattle.

He said he didn’t care much for Bound Brook or other U.S. cities he visited, but he loved tending to the golf course and dreams of going back one day to see the place “that taught me how to work hard.”

This time, he said, he would like to go as a tourist.

[emilioferrer39]

Carcasa para teclado de iPad 2 3 y 4 Cooper Kai Skel P1 Blueto

Proveedor: Cooper Cases Tipo: Estuches para Teclados Precio: 49.95

Dedicado funda para iPad 2,3 y 4 Carcasa de plastico duro hace que sea un resistente estuche para guardar y transportar el iPad cuando no este en uso Min 50 mayor duracion de bateria cortesia de un banco de la energia 4000 mAh se carga a traves de mini USB y su iPad a traves de un USB puertos estandar debido a la capacidad de la bateria extra la funda anade un extra 180 g6,3 oz a el peso total de su dispositivo Funcion de reposoactivacion pone su dispositivo a la cama al cerrar la visualizacion concha diseno se ve como el MacBook de Little Brother con hasta 120 grados angulos de visualizacion Todos los Stock envio desde Estados Unidos envio al dia siguiente disponible con envio express excepto zonas remotas

Otras caracteristicas

Descripcion del teclado QWERTY USUK with 13 hotkeys

Tecnologia de conectividad Bluetooth

Dispositivos compatibles IPad 4| iPad 3| iPad 2

Marca Cooper Cases

Nombre del modelo Kai Skel P1

Color Silver

Numero de teclas 78

Dimensiones del articulo LxWxH 245 x 195 x 2 pulgadas

Material Plastico

Cantidad de botones 78

Dimensiones del producto 245 x 195 x 2 pulgadas

Peso del producto 154 pounds

Fabricante Cooper Cases

ASIN B0094DZGD0

Pais de origen Hong Kong

Numero de modelo del producto CPR003GRY100

Pilas 1 Iones de litio necesarias| incluidas

Opinion media de los clientes 1,897 calificaciones

42 de 5 estrellas

Clasificacion en los mas vendidos de Amazon nº417 en Estuches para Teclados de Tablets

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer No

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source https://www.electroika.com/products/carcasa-para-teclado-de-ipad-2-3-y-4-cooper-kai-skel-p1-blueto source https://electroika.tumblr.com/post/667711599394619392

[electroika]

Carcasa para teclado de iPad 2 3 y 4 Cooper Kai Skel P1 Blueto

Proveedor: Cooper Cases Tipo: Estuches para Teclados Precio: 49.95

Dedicado funda para iPad 2,3 y 4 Carcasa de plastico duro hace que sea un resistente estuche para guardar y transportar el iPad cuando no este en uso Min 50 mayor duracion de bateria cortesia de un banco de la energia 4000 mAh se carga a traves de mini USB y su iPad a traves de un USB puertos estandar debido a la capacidad de la bateria extra la funda anade un extra 180 g6,3 oz a el peso total de su dispositivo Funcion de reposoactivacion pone su dispositivo a la cama al cerrar la visualizacion concha diseno se ve como el MacBook de Little Brother con hasta 120 grados angulos de visualizacion Todos los Stock envio desde Estados Unidos envio al dia siguiente disponible con envio express excepto zonas remotas

Otras caracteristicas

Descripcion del teclado QWERTY USUK with 13 hotkeys

Tecnologia de conectividad Bluetooth

Dispositivos compatibles IPad 4| iPad 3| iPad 2

Marca Cooper Cases

Nombre del modelo Kai Skel P1

Color Silver

Numero de teclas 78

Dimensiones del articulo LxWxH 245 x 195 x 2 pulgadas

Material Plastico

Cantidad de botones 78

Dimensiones del producto 245 x 195 x 2 pulgadas

Peso del producto 154 pounds

Fabricante Cooper Cases

ASIN B0094DZGD0

Pais de origen Hong Kong

Numero de modelo del producto CPR003GRY100

Pilas 1 Iones de litio necesarias| incluidas

Opinion media de los clientes 1,897 calificaciones

42 de 5 estrellas

Clasificacion en los mas vendidos de Amazon nº417 en Estuches para Teclados de Tablets

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer No

Producto en amazoncom desde Agosto 31| 2012

source https://www.electroika.com/products/carcasa-para-teclado-de-ipad-2-3-y-4-cooper-kai-skel-p1-blueto

[carljungdepthpsychology]

Jaime de Angulo: go to the Mecca, I mean to Zurich, and drink from the fountain of life...

Jaime de Angulo: go to the Mecca, I mean to Zurich, and drink from the fountain of life…

Black Books On August 22, 1922, Jaime de Angulo wrote to Chauncey Goodrich issuing “a challenge to all brother-neurotics- go, my brethren, go to the Mecca, I mean to Zurich, and drink from the fountain of life, all ye who are dead in your souls, go and seek new life.” ~The Black Books, Vol. I, Page 81 Three days later, his soul informed him that the new religion expresses itself visibly only in…