#Christina Puerto

[thesearenotphotographs]

Big Ups reunion show with Washer, Mulva, and Muscle at Market Hotel

Full gallery available on my website

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, Big Ups performed their first concert in New York City in five years at Market Hotel in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The post-hardcore band reunited to commemorate the tenth anniversary of their album, Eighteen Hours of Static which was put out by Dead Labour a decade ago, and was recently re-released on vinyl and on cassette with songs remixed by various artists. They also performed a warm up show at Angry Mom Records in Ithaca, NY on October 24th.

The first time I saw and captured the group was back on November 1, 2012 at Death By Audio; two years after their formation. This show took place a few days after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City and was a welcome way to experience community after such a destructive storm. Big Ups’ previous hometown performance before going on hiatus took place in January 2019 at Bowery Ballroom and photos from that concert are available on Flickr in this gallery. [Note: I originally captured BTS images, portraits, and live sets for BTRtoday which unfortunately ceased existing in March 2020]

For their reunion gig, Big Ups were joined by acts from various cities along the east coast. Up first were Muscle, a trio from Baltimore, followed by Mulva (Providence & NYC), and Washer (Philadelphia & NYC), who also performed at Big Ups’ 2019 goodbye show. During Washer’s set, Mike Quigley shared that he was “really fucking stoked” to be playing with Big Ups again. He joked that it wasn’t for them, Washer wouldn’t be a band because he saw them perform and thought “we gotta rip them off!” He also shared that Amar Lal (Big Ups’ guitarist) brought him to his first ever show at Market Hotel twenty years ago and declared, “hey, look at us now!” Lal also joined the duo briefly during one song to play guitar before Quigley switched from bass to guitar for the remainder of their set.

Big Ups’ reunion setlist was comprised of songs from their albums plus a brand new song, which was the first of their two song encore. Vocalist Joe Galarraga stated on stage that someone said the evening felt like a high school reunion. Many of us in the audience, now half-a decade older, returned to one of the few independent, all ages spaces that still remain in the town where the band began for just one night to witness them once again.

[blogparanormalexpresso2stuff]

Puerto Rico is an Ongoing UFO Hotspot

[angelx1992]

[tina-aumont]

♀️International Women's Day♀️

This site is for...

María Antónia García Martín: Spanish migrant woman who went to Cuba where she met her husband, she settled in Garafia, had six children.

Regla María Teresa Vidal Recio was a Dominican loving mother to her 10 children and she took care of two more children from her husband. She had a very special relationship with her daughter María from whom received always beautiful letters and she read them numerous times until she learned them by heart. Her bond to her daughter was really strong they seemed to comunicate by telepathy.

María África Gracia Vidal was a Dominican actress who found fame and fortune in Hollywood. She came from a rural background, was self-thaught about English language and she knew since she was little, that she was born to triumph. She funded her own fan-club, wrote poems and even a song. She was also very loving and protective to her younger sisters and was a very loving mother.

Adita Gracia Vidal was María's younger sister, little is known about her, maybe the was the most shy of all the Gracia Sisters, but she travelled to Hollywood with them to try an artistic carrer as an actress.

Consuelo Gracia Vidal travelled with her sisters to Hollywood and stayed there under María's wing. She acted in one film "Pirates of Monterey" but found English quite difficult and became model. She was the mother of four.

Luz Gracia Vidal was the sweetest of all the Gracia Sisters and when María was away filming, she always took care of her niece Tina. She was married to Jean Roy and had three kids who lost their father in a killing and she took care of them by herself. She never remarried.

Teresa Gracia Vidal was a successful model in her adoptive country, France, as her sisters, she came from a rural area but had a very successful carrer in a foreign country. She settled there and had a daughter, Raïna Paris. Besides of modelling, Teresita tried to succeed in the cinema industry. Today we know she acted in one film "El Andén", filmed in Spain. She was a divorced mum.

Maria Christina Aumont Gracia was María's daughter, she lost her mother when she was just five years old, but she was loved and being cared with her dad, aunties, uncles, cousins... until she was sent away to a schoolboards, then she married at 17 and had a stillborn babygirl when she was 18. Although her personal life wasn't a fairylate, she managed to find happiness for a time and had a very successful carrer as an actress and also a model in Italy, her adoptive country. In 1969 Tina had to have an abortion in secret as it was illegal in France and in 1971 she signed a manifesto (risking jail) in order to decriminalize the right to abortion which until then was illegal in France.

María Montez Gracia Fiallo is named after her Dominican Auntie, as she was born some weeks after her auntie passed away. Just like her cousin Tina, María II lost her dad when she was five, and in her teens she travelled with her mum to Spain, the country of her ancestors, there she had a very successful carrer as a TV actress and performer first, but then she followed a cinema acting carrer and in the Seventies she went to live in a Comunity first in England and then in France where they had a specific stage methodology. She gave up her acting career to take care of her daughter, who was born with Down's Syndrome.

Maria Isabel Gracia is María's niece, and she worked in Puerto Rico and Chile as a model, actress and even did some work behind the cameras. She has, at least, one daughter.

Raïna Paris Manuel Gracia is Teresita's daughter. She has worked as a TV actress, stage actress, producer, documentaries director... but also she's been studing the spiritual side of the humanity and she's written books, poems and makes some speeches about the subject, she also makes some workshops and tarot readings. Being a single child, sometimes has been difficult for her as all the family burden was on her.

Dominic Fuentes Gracia is Maria Isabel's daughter. Just as her auntie Raïna, Dominic has worked on TV and cinema as an actress, but nowadays makes workshops and speeches about spirituality. She is a divorced mum but has a beautiful relationship with her ex-husband.

♀️💜✊🏽

In this International Women's Day I honour all these strong and brave women who made (and still do) a wonderful family that has spread around the world but has a strong bond.

All these women are different, some were rich, some were poor, some had lots of kids, some had none, some had lovely families, others were just divorced women, but all of them had to fight for their rights, their lives and their truth.

To all of them, the ones who came first and the ones who'll came later, I honour you.

We fight every day ♀️💜✊🏽

Eleni xx

[krikeymate]

So I've had this idea for a while and wanted to share it with you, but I'm kind of a noob when it comes to tumblr lol. Feel free to ignore this if it's bad or if I sent this to the wrong place 😅

I've had this headcanon since I've started obsessing over the Scream franchise that the Carpenter household was a Spanish-speaking one. I mean, Melissa speaks Spanish and Jenna's Mexican/Puerto Rican I think, so this could be canon if they decided to expand more on Christina and Dad Carpenter (now DC if I ever return to your asks lol I'm kind of embarrassed).

Growing up, the Carpenter sisters were taught Spanish by both DC and their mom. They didn't want them to grow up not knowing Spanish, what they both speak, so they strictly spoken Spanish while Sam and Tara would learn English at school.

While Sam succeeded quickly in learning English, Tara was stumped because "why the frick does the letter J make that sound in English? What the heck are elongated vowels? Why does Sam laugh whenever I pronounce certain things?"

All in all, Tara had a rough time.

Sam tried to help wherever she could, but they would end up play fighting and forgetting about Tara's homework.

When DC left, Tara was left all alone to work on her English. Sam stayed out later and later, and Tara thinks she's avoiding her. Christina barely gives her the time of day anymore, only going off in her mother tongue when Tara finally annoys her too much.

All alone in this journey, Tara suffers through her learning. It didn't help that she became the butt of the joke for a long time in school for muttering to herself before shouting out the answers in class.

She just feels left out. Even more when Sam ups and leaves, and Christina finally falls into a bottle.

Post 5 & 6 headcanons to tag onto this one lol:

Tara used to call Sam her guerrera fuerte (strong warrior), but now she sticks with either Sam or Sammy. Sam still has a lot of nicknames for Tara in Spanish, but the ones she regularly uses are chiquita (little one), corazón (heart), and cielo (sky, or it means they're your "whole world")

When she's exhausted, Sam will slip and speak in Spanish

Tara, being the pent-up and angry bean she is, yells in Spanish whenever she's frustrated. She doesn't notice sometimes after she's forgotten what she's angry about, but Sam is always willing to communicate with her excited sister

(Some of Sam's eagerness to talk to Tara is to prove they're the better sibling pair. Mindy and Chad have an advantage to the bet by being twins, but they're no match for Sam and Tara. Tara has no idea this bet is going on. Kirby is the referee.)

Sometimes Tara crawls into Sam's bed and tucks herself into her side. Sam, even if she was dead asleep, will always turn and wrap her sister in a tight hug. She sings Tara to sleep using a Spanish lullaby DC used to sing whenever Tara had a nightmare or became fussy

Sam and Tara talk smack about Gale to her face in Spanish. Gale learns Spanish to spite them

(They refused to admit they panicked when Gale all of a sudden knew Spanish and ran away laughing. Gale wants to adopt those two kids.)

Tara is a HEAVY Spanglish user because she's lazy, and she still never really bothered to properly learn English. That's why whenever she's talking to someone in English, she'll trail of and eventually go silent. She forgot the word she wanted to say in English...

Sam finds it hilarious and teases Tara whenever that happens, which is often

Sam and Tara are forced to listen to Chad and Mindy absolutely butcher their first language while trying to learn it. They stop trying

Sorry if this was too long haha, I got excited while writing this!!

I really really really love this!!!! More of an exploration of their roots both in and out of canon is something I would love to see. I've thought about trying to add some Spanish language into my work previously, but I decided against it because I know I would only butcher it, as it's not a language or culture I'm familiar with.

I hope you do return to my inbox, you've clearly got some awesome ideas to share!! I LOVE ALL OF THIS.

Their first language being Spanish and only learning English through school is such a really cool idea. Especially if you combine it with my idea that Tara ends up starting school a year later than she should, it could help explain why she struggles even more in that initial period. It would probably be quite hard for Sam to relate to Tara's struggles as well, because she'll end up having 6 or so years of learning English over her sister, and by then she's fluent and has forgotten how hard it is in the beginning. And if Tara's got learning difficulties? Oof. God knows I was never capable of learning a second language - not everybody can! Sam sees Tara getting frustrated when she speaks to her in English, and always quickly gives in, switching back to Spanish and distracting her instead.

I have no comments on the rest because it's all so so so perfect. A thousand kisses for you.

[daughter-of-sapph0]

Tell us more about the maids please!

okay so I already gave away a bit of lore in this post, but I'll drop some more lore

Avery and Iris and two OCs from a story I'm writing called Fool's Mate. just be warned, it is porn. like really heavy fucked up porn, and I absolutely do not recommend it to everyone. dead dove and all that. but I'll try and censor most of the nsfw stuff and keep it at least pg-13 in my lore dump

also, major major spoilers for Fool's Mate below the cut. there's only four chapters out right now, and a fifth dropping soon-ish. some of these bits of lore won't be revealed for several chapters. so only read if you want spoilers.

okay so where do I even start. well first off, this is actually a sort of adjacent / spinoff story to someone a friend of mine wrote called The Matron's Handmaiden, which is a really good M/s lesbian love story that's longer than LOTR. although it is extremely intense and hard to get into, and I certainly don't recommend it to everyone. I'm trying to write FM in a way that you won't need to have read MH to understand it, but will still be entertaining if you have. basically the only thing you need to know is that the Italian mafia exists, and runs a semi-secret operation where people get made into... let's say "less-than-willing servents"

so Fool's Mate focuses primarily on the relationship between Rosa DiAngelo and Avery Fitzgerald. Rosa's parents come from two different crime families. her father, Antonio Fiore, was a hitman for the Italian mob her, Margarita Ruiz, comes from a family that ran a drug empire in Puerto Rico until the communist revolution forced them to move to new york. being from two different cultures and competing for control of the city, Tony and Rita's families fought a lot. despite this, they fell in love with each other. although they try to treat this as a storybook Romeo and Juliette style romance (or I guess in this case West Side Story), their marriage was actually arranged so that the Italians could have a share of the opium business while the PRs received protecting from the mob, and was seen as mutually beneficial for both families.

Rosaline Fiore was the first and only child born to Rita and Tony Fiore. she grew up rich, pampered, and spoiled rotten. everything she could ever possibly want was handed to her on a silver platter. but around the time she was about 7 or 8 years old, her father started to get back in with the mob and was almost never home. to help take care of Rosaline, Tony "hired" a maid named Irene Sorello, who he renamed to Iris.

Iris had a rough life growing up. her mother left home, and her father was incredibly abusive. she was always a bit goth and into the occult and mysticism and stuff, but her father called it demon worshipping and tried to make her stop. when she was around 16, she ran away from home, and through a series of unfortunate events, ended up becoming the Fiore family's live in maid, and Rosaline's babysitter.

Iris realized early on that Rosaline was an extremely weird kid. she had almost no empathy for others. she's unsure how much of this is caused by her parents, especially her father, being neglectful, and how much of it is Rosaline's own issues. despite this, Iris deeply cared for Rosaline and did her absolutely best to take care of the princess.

Rosaline went to a private catholic high school called St Andrew's Academy. her two friends, Juno and her cousin Christina, stayed by her side no matter what. there was an incident where a classmate was being racist to her, but when Rosaline told her father about this, that girl's family mysteriously moved away. so no one fucked with her after that.

around the time Rosaline starts high school, Aiden Fitzgerald is about 7 years old. he lives in a small new york apartment with his mother, Eileen. Eileen, a single mother and Irish immigrant, struggles to raise her son on her own. she seeks help from a close friend of hers, another single mother Veronica Accardi, who also has a daughter of her own named Violet. Aiden and Violet grow up to be close friends, almost like siblings. and Ms Accardi is like a second mother to Aiden.

I'm not gonna reveal how because spoilers, but one day Eileen dies. Aiden is traumatized, and Ms Accardi volunteers to adopt him, raising him as her own son.

eventually, Aiden comes out as transgender, changing her name to Avery. Veronica and Violet are both super accepting and support her transition.

meanwhile, back at the Fiore manor, Rosaline is 18 and in her senior year. for the past year, her and Juno have been dating. but Juno has been showing more and more masculine traits, wearing the boys uniform, cutting her hair shorter. eventually, Juno comes out to Rosaline as a trans man and changes his name to Julius. Rosaline doesn't take this easily, assuming that Julius is trying to turn her straight, and the two get into a huge fight and break up. despite this, they both still have feelings for each other but are both too prideful to admit it.

Rosaline is furious, and acts like a huge brat when she's not given something she wants for the first time in her life. she takes out a lot of this anger on Iris, who takes the abuse without resisting. around this same time, her father who has only been home occasionally for the past decade announces that he's retiring from the mob the same month Rosaline leaves for college. Rosaline interpret this as her father not loving her and trying to avoid her, and feels that her low empathy and abusive tendencies (as well as a past traumatic even that I won't spoil) makes her unlovable. she tries to talk to Iris about this, realizing that she has a crush on her. but when Iris rejects her and says that Rosaline is more like a sister to her than anything, Rosaline loses her temper and whips Iris across the back so hard that she still has a scar over a decade later.

meanwhile, Avery is having simar feelings towards Violet. being by her side for her entire life, she feels a deep attraction for her. but Violet has repeatedly shown that she sees Avery as more of a little sister, and Avery feels it's too awkward to confess her feelings to her. around this time, she meets a new best friend, Rachel Goldwyn, and the two hit it off well. Rachel acts as the sort of overprotective mother of the group, and is especially needed when Violet's teenage punk antics get them into trouble.

Rosaline leaves for college, and tries to separate herself from her family as much as possible, going so far as to change her name to Rosa DiAngelo to avoid people recognizing her as a mafia princess. she sleeps around a lot, having a preference for girls with dark red hair just like Iris. Rosa and Christina hang out whenever they get a chance. but despite all this, there's still an aching feeling that she misses Julius, but will never admit it to herself.

years pass. Violet graduates high school, then Avery and Rachel a few years later. Violet starts a band who eventually get a record deal, and Rachel gets married and has a kid before she's 21. including Rachel's husband and daughter, the five of them live in a tiny crowded apartment. while Rachel and Violet are somewhat successful, Avery is an absolute failure. she can't keep a job, or a boyfriend, to save her life. the only thing she's half decent at cooking meals that Ms Accardi taught her. her main hobby is watching video game streams online alone in her room.

for her 21st birthday, Violet and Rachel basically force Avery out of the house to go to a nightclub, despite how much Avery hates it. there, she meets someone who can't keep her eyes off her; Rosa DiAngelo.

and that's at least most of the backstory for my OCs so far. I'm currently writing chapter 5, which is a flashback to were Avery and Rosa first meet. and I plan on introducing Iris properly in a few chapters, too, as well as giving Rosa a bit of a family reunion.

if you wanna hear more nsfw details or want a link to the current four chapters, dm my other blog @angel-in-shibari, because I am NOT posting them here lmao

[haveyouseenthis-childhoodshow]

Have you seen this childhood show: Taina (2001-2002), United States (English and Spanish)

Commentary/Context/Memories: The theme song always pops in my head when I remember this show! And they also had some pretty big music stars on as guests: Shakira, Solange, Kelly Rowland, Luis Fonsi.

[Mod A: The theme song in question is “Gonna Be a Star” and it was sung by Christina Vidal who played Taina. Taina was a Puerto Rican teenager who attends the Manhattan High School of the Performing Arts to train to become a singer and actress. She attends the school with her bestie Renee Jones (a rapper who is also boy-crazy) and runs into their childhood friend Lamar (aspiring director/writer with a crush on Taina) and his friend Daniel (multi-instrumentalist who may have a crush on Renee and accompanies Taina when she sings). Each episode, Taina deals with friendship issues, usually runs into her nemesis (Maritza Hogg, who knew them when they were younger, is ruthless but sometimes an ally to Taina), goes to school, gets into mishaps with her friends and sometimes performs a song (by herself or sometimes with the episode’s guest star). This show was one of the first (if not the) latina-lead sitcoms on Nickelodeon, and it was super popular until its untimely cancellation, which seems to have been because of behind the scenes drama with recording studio contracts and executive meddling, not because of actual viewership numbers (which were high) or the quality of the show itself. Regardless, this show seems to be right up my alley! I feel like Victorious got a LOT of inspiration from this show.]

[uncloseted]

Hi Christina!

I’m traveling to Málaga, Spain in a couple of weeks and I have a lot of anxiety because this is my first time traveling to a foreign country. I vaguely remember that you visited Spain, but I was wondering if you can share any advice such as your favorite / must haves travel essentials, how to enjoy your time yet be budget friendly? Not too interested in doing touristy stuff but I heard the beaches are nice? Do you recommend staying at an Airbnb, hotel, hostel, or a capsule hotel? Would love to hear your recommendations! Also, any followers of Christina’s can chime in as well, much appreciated. Thank you in advanced.

That's so exciting! I bet you're going to have the best time. I've never been to Málaga before, but I have been to Spain and I solo travel a fair amount, so I'll tell you what I know.

Starting with where to stay, a hostel will be your most budget-friendly option. The average price of a hotel in Malaga is around $101 USD per night, while hostels can go as low as $20 USD per night. Hostels are also better in terms of meeting people, since they tend to be full of young travelers looking to make friends. Just make sure that the hostel has good reviews and is located in a safe area. TOC hostel seems like a popular choice. As far as Airbnbs go, they tend to be around the price of a hotel and come with their own rules and regulations. They're a great option if you're working while staying somewhere long-term and want to get a sense of what it's like to live there, but other than that I would skip them.

As far as how to enjoy your time, it really depends on what you like. I'll typically see if Conde Nast Traveller has articles on the places I'm going (here and here), then I'll do a search on Reddit to see what people like, and I also check out Atlas Obscura to see if there are any weird or interesting attractions around. I love museums, so I usually check out which ones are in the city. You can also Google something like "best free things to do in Malaga" and you'll get a whole list. I would maybe check out the Picasso Museum or the Carmen Thyssen Museum, which are free on Sundays, the Contemporary Art Centre of Malaga, which is always free, the Museum of Malaga, the Alcazaba and the Gibralfaro Castle, stroll along the Puerto de Malaga and Paseo Maritimo, and go to the Malaga Botanical Garden. If you like food and you want to save some money on eating out, going to one of the markets could also be a really nice activity. Grocery stores are also your friend if you're looking to save some money- I like getting some picnic supplies and then going to sit in a park or on the beach. I would maybe also look to see if there are any tours you would be interested in or a class you might want to take in something that's unique to Malaga. For example, when I was in Iceland, I did a ride through a lava field on an Icelandic pony, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and super fun. Finding things like that that are really unique can help to make your trip more memorable. Tours can also help you connect with other travelers, which is great if you're on your own and maybe feel a little lost. Just wandering around the city can also be a great activity in itself and help you figure out what you want to see or do.

For travel essentials, I think people will try to sell you on all sorts of gadgets, but I don't really travel with that many things that are out of the ordinary. I'm in Greece now, and the travel items I brought with me are a universal power adapter and packing cubes. If you're going to stay at a hostel, I would recommend getting a good pair of earplugs (I like the Loop ones, but honestly any of them are fine), an eye mask, and maybe a portable lock box for your valuables (this is also useful if you want to go to the beach without worrying that your stuff will get stolen). If you're staying on your own, I usually travel with a doorstop alarm, but that's really for my own peace of mind- I've never actually needed it. Other than that, I try to carry a few different types of medications with me in case I need them, and I try to have long enough charging cables so that they'll reach regardless of where I am, but that's pretty much it. If you don't speak the language of the place you're going, the Google Translate app is a good thing to download because it can scan written text and translate it in real time. I would also check to see what the public transportation looks like and if you need to download any additional apps for that.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but please feel free to send in follow up questions! Mostly, just go into it with an open mind and try to have fun. The unexpected parts of a trip are often the best parts.

[promdiboy]

BASICS

FULL NAME: FRANCISCO “ISKO” AGBAYANI

» MEANING: Francisco [ Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name Franciscus. It means “free man” in Latin.]; Agbayani [ Ilocano (Philippines): nickname from Ilocano agbayani 'to be heroic'. ]

VERSES: The Game, Excess Baggage, Fear of 13, Life’s A Drag, City of Gods

NICKNAME(S): Isko, which is a typical nickname for the name Francisco in the Philippines [ as opposed to Spanish which is Paco and Portuguese which is Chico. ] When he attended university in Manila, he was called Promdiboy because of his accent and also of the fact he mostly lived in the island until he traveled to attend college. Promdi is a Tagalog slang referring to a person from the country or province [ an ellipsis of "from the province.” ] It could mean an insult but Isko didn’t mind being called that especially by people and classmates who he became very good friends with up to this day. Promdiboy = boy from the province.

AGE: 27-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 8th April 1995

PLACE OF BIRTH: Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

OCCUPATION: Bar/business owner.

RELIGION: Cathoilc.

ORIENTATION: Pansexual, panromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender male.

SPECIES: Human.

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Courageous, Confident, Passionate, Honest, Determined, Ambitious.

WEAKNESSES: Impulsive, Moody, Impatient, Aggressive, Ambitious, Short-tempered.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Brandon Perea.

HEIGHT: 5’10��� [ 177 cm.]

WEIGHT: 143 lbs. [65 kg.]

BUILD: Athletic.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Brown.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: TBA.

OVERVIEW:

» SCARS: TBA.

» TATTOOS: Various. details to be added.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

RESIDENCES: Manila, Calapan, and Victoria in the Philippines. Chicago and Hawaii, USA.

NATIONALITY: Filipino-American.

ETHNICITY: Asian, Carribean.

FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper middle-class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: University graduate.

DEGREES: Hotel and restaurant management.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Isko is fluent in Tagalog, Ilokano, English, and Spanish. He can converse lightly in Japanese and Korean and some Mandarin as well since he has been living in Hawaii.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Mother is Ma. Christina Agbayani, alive. Father was a young Puerto Rican businessman named Michael Perez; they met when he was born but Perez passed away before he turned one. Isko has contact with his father’s family New York and Puerto Rico.

SIBLINGS: Younger ones on his mother side as she married when he was 10. He has no half-siblings on his father’s side and that made his father’s family care for him a lot.

CHILDREN: He has no children.

PETS: Fishes.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: Miss J [temporary name], is someone he looked up to since he was a teenager. Struggling when he came to the US, Miss J was one of the people that helped and supported him... Many times he’d expressed interest in Miss J but Miss J only saw him as a younger brother...

Isko became acquainted with a mafia named Leon Goodman. He did odd jobs for the man but he made sure that he didn’t want to be involved in any criminal activities. Leon Goodman was a man of his word and kept him on payroll managing the legal side of the man’s gyms and other businesses. Eventually, Isko saved enough and opened his own business, a Filipino grocery store that his mother helped managed. He then opened a restaurant and let it grow until he is able to establish business back in the Philippines. When he moved to Hawaii, he ventured into a bar business with six other friends whom he met online when he was in high school and opened a bar with them they call THE DEVIL’S PIT.

» TBA.

FAMILY HISTORY: Named after the saint Francis, Isko grew up mainly with his grandparents in the island of Mindoro, in the Philippines. His mother met his father while working up north of the country. She came home pregnant but the businessman promised to marry her. Preparations were made but unfortunately, fate had a different plan for the new family as it took Isko’s father way too early. 

Isko’s mother struggled to take care of him but with her parents help, she continued to work outside of the island. Eventually, learning about their late son’s family, they tracked Christina and Isko and found them living in Mindoro. They kept in contact and supported Isko. Since Isko is an American citizen as his birth was reported by his parents to the US Embassy right after, Isko’s father’s family suggested that he come live in the US. Isko refused whenever the subject was brought up but made a deal with his grandparents that he’d come to the US after he finishes college in the Philippines. He didn’t want to leave his mother on her own. Isko’s father’s family at this point were doing well financially but bad investments caused them to lose many of their fortunes that by the time Isko came to the US to live with them, they were struggling themselves. 

Used to living with what he only needed to go on, this did not bother Isko and instead worked on bettering himself. Eventually, his mother was able to join him in Chicago. His mother mostly stays in the Philippines with her husband and their children, managing Isko’s businesses there.

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Miss J. Miss J. Miss J. He’s had relationships in the past. Broke up with the recent one as he got very busy with business. Most partners he had didn’t like that he has no time for them because of work.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Isko is a member of a group of seven friends who call themselves THE PIT CREW. Each friend lives in a different country and met through online gaming when they were teenagers. They stay connected and meet once a year. They also opened a chain of bars they call THE DEVIL'S PIT.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "Sacrifice.”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): Nothing really.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISORDER: None.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Alcoholism.

[dear-indies]

What are some of your favourite underused fcs?

CracKs KnuCKles

I have a directory HERE of people I think are underused and underappreciated with resources but here are some of my favourites, please let me know if you want a certain age range or something because I could have easily added another 100 more.

Lily Tomlin (1939) - is a lesbian.

Ming-Na Wen (1963) Macanese / Chinese Malaysian.

Peter Dinklage (1969) - has achondroplasia.

Jack Black (1969) Ashkenazi Jewish / German, as well as Northern Irish, Scottish, English, remote French and Welsh (converted to Judaism).

Don Lee (1971) Korean.

Christina Applegate (1971) - has multiple sclerosis.

Sara Ramírez (1975) Mexican and some Irish - non-binary (they/them) and queer.

Dominique Jackson (1975) Afro-Tobagonian - is trans.

Vinny Chhibber (1980) Indian.

Chrissy Metz (1980)

Beth Ditto (1981) - is queer.

Jana Schmieding (1981) Miniconjou Lakota Sioux, Sicangu Oyate Lakota Sioux.

Brian Tyree Henry (1982) African-American.

Utkarsh Ambudkar (1983) Marathi Indian / Tamil Indian.

Levy Tran (1983) Vietnamese.

Michael Malarkey (1983) Palestinian, Italian-Maltese / Irish, German.

Gabourey Sidibe (1983) Senegalese / African-American.

Heather White (1983) Mohawk / Nakoda Sioux.

Bobby Wilson (1984) Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Dakota Sioux.

Brian Michael Smith (1984) African-American - is trans.

Savannah Welch (1984) - is paraplegic.

Ryan O'Connell (1986) - is gay and has cerebral palsy.

Nicole Byer (1986) African American - had said that she “doesn’t identify as straight” but is uncomfortable with labels.

May Calamawy (1986) Jordanian, Palestinian / Egyptian.

Michaela Coel (1987) Ghanaian - is romantic.

Aidy Bryant (1987)

Jay Hayden (1987) Irish, English, Scottish / Korean.

Mamoudou Athie (1988) Mauritanian.

Ritu Arya (1988) Indian.

Sharon Rooney (1988)

Anna Diop (1988) Sundanese.

Laith Ashley (1989) Afro Dominican - is trans and asexual.

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (1989) has hypermobile EDS with marfanoid phenotype causing blindness in one eye and deafness - is a lesbian.

Daniel Kaluuya (1989) Ugandan.

JuJu Chan (1989) Hongkonger.

Danielle Brooks (1989) - has openly dated men and women but has chosen not to label her sexuality publicly.

Harvey Guillén (1990) Mexican - is queer.

Eric Graise (1990) African-American - is a bilateral amputee.

Nathaniel Curtis (1990) Indian / English - is queer.

Kiowa Gordon (1990) Hualapai, English, Scottish, Danish, Manx.

Daniel Ezra (1991) Afro Jamaican.

Sofiya Cheyenne (1991) Taino, Dominican, Syrian, and Italian - has Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita.

Alexander Hodge (1991) Chinese Singaporean / Irish.

Sarah Kameela Impey (1991) Indo-Guyanese / British.

Vico Ortiz (1991) Puerto Rican - non-binary (they/them).

John Boyega (1992) Yoruba Nigerian.

Jake Choi (1992) Korean - sexually fluid.

Theo Germaine (1992) - non-binary (he/they).

Tyler James Williams (1992) African-American.

RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy.

Lily Mae Harrington (1993)

Beanie Feldstein (1993) Ashkenazi Jewish - chosen not to label her sexuality but is openly dating a woman.

Omari Douglas (1994) Nigerian - is gay.

Emmett Preciado (1994) Mexican and White - is trans.

Kofi Siriboe (1994) Ghanaian.

Coty Camacho (1995) Mixtec and Zapotec - is pansexual.

Rish Shah (1995) Indian.

Angel Bismark Curiel (1995) Taino, Afro Dominican, Spanish - has asthma and a heart murmur.

Lauren “Lolo” Spencer (1996) African-American - Lou-Gehrig’s disease.

Tony Revolori (1996) Guatemalan [Spanish, Unspecified Indigenous, possibly other].

Alaqua Cox (1997) Menominee and Mohican - is Deaf and an amputee who uses a prosthetic leg.

Jharrel Jerome (1997) Afro-Dominican.

Chella Man (1998) Hongkonger and Jewish - is trans genderqueer (he/they) and is deaf.

Georgia Rankin (1998) - has skeletal dysplasia, had her hip bones removed, and uses a wheelchair.

Bilal Hasna (1999) Punjabi and Palestinian.

Danielle Perez (?) Afro-Dominican - is a double lower leg amputee and is queer.

[eirinstiva]

I want to know more about Garcia's past...

With the last letter from my dear friend Watson and considering that we still don't know more about Aloysius Garcia, I tried to remember about the history of Spanish-speaking countries during the victorian era and noticed that there's a lot to analyse in 1892. Just for reference:

It was the 400th anniversary of the "discovery of the Americas", and it was celebrated in Europe and America.

In Spain ocurred the Borbon Restoration and this period was marked by political instability, economic struggles, and social unrest. Alfonso XII died in November 1885. His wife María Christina was still pregnant of his son Alfonso XIII, who was born on 17 May 1886 and became King upon birth Queen Mother María Christina was regent until 1898. Many Spaniards emigrated to America during this period.

Philippines and Puerto Rico were still under Spanish rule, while Cuba was recovering from the Ten Years' War.

Argentina was recovering from the baring crisis of 1890. Former vicepresident Carlos Pellegrini become president until 1892 the succeeded by Luis Sáenz Peña.

Chile was at the end of the Liberal Republic era, there was a civil war in 1891 and started the Parliamentary era. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, siding with the president José Manuel Balmaceda and the congress, respectively. This conflict ended with the defeat of the Army and the presidential forces, and with President Balmaceda committing suicide as a consequence of the defeat. Saltpetre was the principal export, extracted by british companies.

México Porfirio Díaz was president (again) and this period is known as Porfiriato (Porfiriate). There were significant economic, technological, social, and cultural changes during this period.

In Paraguay the banking crisis got bigger and there was an aborted Liberal revolt in 1891.

Perú was in a period known has National reconstruction era. The government started to initiate a number of social and economic reforms in order to recover from the damage of the War of the Pacific and the chilenization in Tacna and Arica.

Brasil (I know they speak Portuguese, but I'm in LatAm, we are in the same neighbourhood, so it's important) Pedro II was deposed on November 15, 1889, by a Republican military coup led by General Deodoro da Fonseca, who became the country's first de facto president through military ascension. This period is known as República Velha (Old Republic).

There's a lot more considering other countries like Colombia or Uruguay, but I need to read a lot more to understand a bit more.

(For now, I like the idea that he could be some rich Spaniard that had a shady business with some Englishman related to saltpetre in Peru-Bolivia-Chile)

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 7.17

Beer Birthdays

James Pawley Dawes (1843)

Anthony Straub (1882)

Joshua Bernstein (1978)

Five Favorite Birthdays

James Cagney; actor (1899)

Erle Stanley Gardner; writer (1889)

Vince Guaraldi; jazz pianist (1928)

Peter Schickele; music comedian, composer (1935)

Donald Sutherland; actor (1934)

Famous Birthdays

Berenice Abbott; photographer (1898)

Shmuel Yosef Agnon; Ukrainian-Israeli writer (1888)

Ron Asheton; guitarist and songwriter (1948)

John Jacob Astor; zillionaire (1763)

Lou Barlow; guitarist and songwriter (1966)

George Barnes; guitarist and songwriter (1921)

Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten; German philosopher (1714)

Luc Bondy; Swiss film director (1948)

Tim Brooke-Taylor; English comedian (1940)

Mark Burnett; television producer (1960)

Geezer Butler; English bass player (1949)

Diahann Carroll; actor (1935)

Niccolò Castiglioni; Italian composer (1932)

Elizabeth Cook; singer and guitarist (1972)

John Cooper; English car designer (1923)

Chris Crutcher; writer (1946)

Spencer Davis; rock musician (1942)

Paul Delaroche; French painter (1797)

Phyllis Diller; comedian (1917)

Cory Doctorow, Canadian author (1971)

Lyonel Feininger;, German-American painter (1871)

Lionel Ferbos; trumpeter (1911)

Wolfgang Flür; German musician (1947)

Wendy Freedman; Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer (1957)

Elbridge Gerry; politician (1744)

Sergei K. Godunov; Russian mathematician (1929)

Gordon Gould; laser inventor (1920)

David Hasselhoff; actor (1952)

Hermann Huppen; Belgian author and illustrator (1938)

Bruno Jasieński; Polish poet and author (1901)

Scott Johnson; cartoonist (1969)

Darryl Lamonica; Oakland Raiders QB (1941)

Nicolette Larson; singer-songwriter (1952)

Thé Lau; Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (1952)

Georges Lemaître; Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (1894)

Art Linkletter; humorist (1912)

Pierre Louis Maupertuis; French mathematician and philosopher (1698)

Robert R. McCammon; author (1952)

Angela Merkel; German chemist and politician (1954)

Craig Morgan; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1965)

Luis Munoz-Rivera; Puerto Rican patriot, poet (1859)

Frank Olson; chemist and microbiologist (1910)

Barbara O'Neil; actor (1910)

Mary Osborne; guitarist (1921)

Quino Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist (1932)

Christiane Rochefort; French author (1917)

Jason Rullo; rock drummer (1972)

Jimmy Scott; jazz singer (1925)

Ephraim Shay, American engineer (1839)

Phoebe Snow; singer (1952)

P.J. Soles; actor (1950)

Red Sovine; country singer (1917)

Christina Stead; Australian author (1902)

J. Michael Straczynski; writer (1954)

Mick Tucker; English rock drummer (1947)

Isaac Watts; English hymnwriter (1674)

Alex Winter; actor (1965)

[screamingforyears]

IN A MINUTE:

A NEW MUSIC ROUND_UP...

“JE T’AIME (A QUOI BON)” is the lead single from @charmschool.band’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Debt Forever’ (1/24/25) & it finds the Louisville-based quartet of Andrew Sellers (vocals/guitar), Drew English (guitar), Matt Filip (bass) & Jason Bemis Lawrence (drums) bringing the no_waving & post_punking goods across 3+ guitar-driven minutes.

“BLISTER” is the lead track on @heavytripband’s recently released EP titled ‘Where They Can’t See’ (@candlepin_records @summerdarlingtapes) & it finds the Durant, OK-based quartet of Boyce Powell (vocals/bass), Kasey Gaither (guitars), Jake DeSivo (guitars) & Zane Hall (drums) grunge_gazing across 3 heavily amplified mins of hardcoringly heaving AltRawk.

“WINK” is a choice cut from @horsejumperoflove’s recently released LP titled ‘Disaster Trick’ (@runforcover) & it finds the Boston-based trio of vocalist/guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos, bassist John Margaris & drummer James Doran linking up w/ Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman to shed perspective on “the ebb and flow of pushing forward for something better & going back to your old ways” across a sub-3 min slice of dreamily gazed IndieRock.

@kal_marks_the_band are here w/ “A FUNCTIONAL EARTH,” the second single from their forthcoming LP titled ‘Wasteland Baby’ (9/13 @explodinginsound) & it finds the Brooklyn-based quartet of Carl Shane (vocals/guitar/gizmos), Christina Puerto (guitar/vox), John Russell (bass/vox) & Adam Berkowitz (drums) getting colorfully grooved across a sub-4 min slice of head bobbing & Alt_rocking good good.

“NOBODY’S PARTY” is the second single/lead track from @otis.shanty’s forthcoming LP titled ‘Up On the Hill’ (9/20 @reliefmaprecords) & it finds the Somerville, Mass-based quartet of Sadye Bobbette, Ryan DiLello, Julian Snyder & Jono Quinn bringing their “Arborescent songs for rhizomatic people” ethos across 4 ½ mins of dreamily rocked & breezily back porched IndiePop.

[jcmarchi]

Building bidirectional bridges

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/building-bidirectional-bridges/

Building bidirectional bridges

In June 2023, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities could no longer use race as a factor in their admission decisions, many higher education institutions across the United States faced the same challenge: how to maintain diversity in their student bodies. So Noelle Wakefield, director of MIT’s Summer Research Program (MSRP) and assistant dean for diversity initiatives in MIT’s Office of Graduate Education (OGE), started planning.

On July 31, a little more than a year after the decision was released, the OGE hosted the inaugural Inclusive Pathways to the PhD Summit, which brought representatives from nearly 20 minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to meet with MIT administrators, faculty, and doctoral students. The admission question — how to continue attracting a diverse cohort of graduate students with the new legal restrictions? — was only the first of many that framed a broader and more complex picture.

“What are fresh ways for us to find talent in places that aren’t typically represented at MIT?” Wakefield asks. “How can we form partnerships with institutions that aren’t already part of our ecosystem? What is the formula for partnerships where both institutions benefit and feel good about the work that is happening?”

These aren’t new outreach questions for MIT, Wakefield says, but the changing admissions landscape sparked a need for the Institute to “be more thoughtful.”

And a need to clear up misperceptions, adds Denzil Streete, senior associate dean and director of the OGE. “MIT faculty may have outdated perspectives about HBCUs and MSIs,” he says. “And our visitors may be relying on historical knowledge of MIT that is largely negative” when it comes to attracting graduate applications from smaller, lesser-known colleges and universities. The summit was designed to be a first step in demystifying these assumptions and in establishing “a common platform and a shared understanding for moving forward,” Streete says.

For decades, the OGE has focused its HBCU and MSI outreach efforts on student recruitment, but the summit signals a broadening of that approach to include faculty and staff mentors — the people Wakefield describes as “levers for decision-making” among prospective graduate students. Streete says, “if we at MIT say we attract the best and brightest in the world and we don’t include these institutions, then our supposition comes into question.”

The summit agenda included information sessions about navigating the MIT graduate admission process and finding research opportunities for undergraduates, as well as conversations with current MIT doctoral students who’d graduated from the MSIs represented at the summit. There was a campus tour, a poster session by students in the MIT Summer Research Program, and a panel discussion on forming reciprocal relationships with HBCUs and MSIs, featuring visitors from Spelman College, Prairie View A & M University, and the University of Puerto Rico, among others.

That discussion resonated with visitor Gwendolyn Scott-Jones, dean of the Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Delaware State University. “It felt like an authentic discussion about the disparities and lack of equal resources that HBCUs historically contend with compared to predominantly white institutions,” she observes. “HBCUs have been known to do more with less and have produced very talented professionals, and I believe MIT is trying to provide HBCUs with access and opportunity.”

One of the summit’s goals was to begin ensuring that this access and opportunity would be “bidirectional” — going both ways between an institution like MIT and an HCBU like Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where Christina Chisholm, one of the panelists, did her undergraduate work. Collaborations “aren’t spaces in which you’re just throwing money at something to fix it, or to bridge a gap,” says Chisholm, a biophysicist who’s now director of the McNair Scholars Program and Thrive Student Support Services at Rutgers University.

Instead, she advised, focus on cooperation, coordination, and positive mentorship. Tiffany Oliver, a biology professor at Spelman, recalled a potential student-research project she was exploring with a partner at a larger institution who would host her students in his lab. “His attitude was, ‘We have the money so we’re going to tell you what you need to do.’” she recalls. “That’s a reflection of how you’re going to treat my students, and I would rather send my students to some other place if the people show that they care. I want my students to leave school still loving science, not tarnished by science.”

Another piece of advice came from Kareem McLemore, assistant vice president of strategic enrollment management at Delaware State. “When you’re partnering with us, the first thing we’re going to ask is, ‘Are you doing this to check a box?’” he says. “If it’s a checkbox, we don’t want it. We want to know what the objectives are, the key goals, the KPIs [key performance indicators]. You may have the money, but think about the resources we have as HBCUs that can help you raise your brand. We have to ride the wave together.”

The summit served as a starting point: a way to build trust among institutions with different histories and resources, and to stimulate ideas for future partnerships, whether that means a joint research project, a shared curriculum, or a faculty exchange.

“We all understand that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not distributed in the same manner,” says Bryan Thomas Jr., assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a co-organizer of the event. Broadening MIT’s networks through the Inclusive Pathways Summit means “expanding our ecosystem of opportunity, collaboration, and adding new ways of solving problems,” he says. “And that ultimately benefits all of us.”

[nsfwhiphop]

Incoming Text for @MarcAnthony and @santinihoudini : Important reminder:

Hey Marc and Christina!

I want to help you understand something:

You are like father and daughter now.

Pauletta Washington is the Godmother of Christina Santini.

John David Washington is the husband of Christina Santini.

In India, we decided to block access to @deepikapadukone and replaced her with @therealkarismakapoor.

My dear Christina, do you see your new family now?

Marc is the Puerto Rican father.

Pauletta Washington is the African-American mother-in-law.

@therealkarismakapoor is your Indian Godmother.

John David Washington is your husband.

Samuel L. Jackson is your African-American uncle.

Denzel Washington is your African-American father-in-law.

Salma Hayek is your Mexican-American Godmother.

This is the full list of your family members. They will protect you.

Also, I have decided to put all your money in the bank account of your Indian Godmother, Karisma Kapoor. She will protect your wealth back in India.

This is how John David and Christina Santini will never worry about wealth again. They will let their Indian Godmother, Karisma Kapoor, protect all their wealth back in India.

Pauletta Washington will have talks with the Kapoor family and explain to them the situation, how black folks in America aren't allowed to carry this type of immense wealth.

John David Washington and Christina Santini will never pay taxes in America; they will let Karisma Kapoor pay taxes back in India.

John David will deny everything because his bank account is empty.

Christina Santini will also deny everything because her bank account is empty.

I want to introduce to you the little brother of Karisma Kapoor. His name is Ranbir Kapoor, and this is his IG fan page: @ranbirkapooronline

I encourage you to become good friends with Ranbir Kapoor because he is a member of the big Kapoor family in India.

John David and Ranbir Kapoor will become very good friends.

The wife of Ranbir Kapoor is also an actress, Alia Bhatt. You can trust her too; she is a member of the Kapoor family as well.

Fun Fact: "Alia Bhatt is the Indian bestie BFF of Gal Gadot."

I hope you will all get acquainted with your new family members. We will be united for many decades as one big family.

I know that Christina Santini isn't ready to carry all this pressure right now. That's why I decided to take it easy on this poor kid and take off the pressure. I have made sure she becomes a member of the Kapoor family in India now.

John David Washington-Kapoor.

Christina Santini-Kapoor.

This is how you will never worry about protecting your immense wealth again. You will let the Kapoor family handle this problem for you.

I hope my message was clear.

Your friend and guardian angel,

Angelo.

P.S.:

Synopsis of the letter:

The letter is a narrative addressed to Marc and Christina, presenting an elaborate scenario where Christina Santini becomes integrated into a new, powerful family network. The letter outlines a reorganization of alliances, moving away from Deepika Padukone to align with the Kapoor family in India. It emphasizes the protection and management of Christina's wealth by her new Indian Godmother, Karisma Kapoor, and introduces new family members and their roles. The letter also touches on avoiding tax liabilities in America and forming strong bonds with influential figures within the Kapoor family. The overall message is about ensuring Christina's security and wealth management through this newly formed family structure, under Angelo's guidance.

[lgbtnewsturkey]

Singer Ricky Martin to perform concert in Türkiye

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin is set to meet music lovers in Antalya, Türkiye on July 31, organizers said.

The Grammy award-winning star will be hosted as part of the Regnum Live in Concerts series, according to the statement from Regnum Carya hotel in Antalya. He will take the stage at the resort's Pearl Event Area.

The hotel has earlier hosted concerts by international stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, Tom Jones, Rita Ora, Jason Derulo, James Arthur, Tom Odell, Pink Martini, and Anne Marie.

(via LGBT parties in Istanbul and other Turkish Cities)