#from memphis to the caribbean

[elvisbdoll]

From Memphis to the Caribbean

Prologue: under the Caribbean sun

The ocean stretched out in endless blue, its rhythm steady and hypnotic as the waves kissed the golden shores. Elvis leaned against the railing of his hotel balcony, the Caribbean sun warm against his skin. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the salty breeze, letting it sweep away the weight of his fame. This wasn’t Vegas, Memphis, or Graceland. This was the Dominican Republic—unfamiliar, vibrant, alive.

Down below, the streets buzzed with life. Children darted around in play, laughter spilling into the air like a melody. Women chatted on their porches, their voices punctuated with bursts of laughter. Men sat in groups, slamming domino tiles onto makeshift tables, their banter rhythmic and sharp, like music of its own. From somewhere close, the sizzle of food and the aroma of spices wafted up, mingling with the faint strains of merengue coming from a nearby radio.

Elvis couldn’t help but smile. He’d always been drawn to places that felt like they had a soul, and this little corner of the world had plenty to spare.

“Señor Presley!” a voice called from below.

Elvis looked down to see a young boy waving up at him, holding a bag of mangos. The boy grinned wide, no hint of hesitation or awe despite knowing exactly who he was.

“You want mango, mister?”

Elvis chuckled, leaning over the railing. “Not right now, partner, but thanks.”

The boy nodded, unfazed, and darted back to his friends, yelling something in Spanish Elvis didn’t catch.

It was strange and refreshing, this place where people knew who he was but treated him like anyone else. They didn’t ask for autographs or press too close. Instead, they offered mangos, warm smiles, and easy conversation, as if he were just another neighbor stopping by.

Elvis turned away from the balcony, adjusting his sunglasses and heading down to the lobby. He had a little free time before tonight’s rehearsal at the concert venue, and something about the streets below called to him. He needed to feel the pulse of this place firsthand.

The market was alive with color and noise, a feast for the senses. Stalls overflowed with fresh produce, handwoven goods, and vibrant flowers. Merchants called out their wares in rapid Spanish, their voices weaving together in a lively symphony.

It was there, amidst the bustle, that he saw her.

She stood near a stall piled high with plantains, her skin glowing in the sunlight, a rich tan that seemed to drink in the warmth. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, and she wore a simple dress that flowed with her movements. She wasn’t flashy or trying to stand out, but she had a presence that made everything else blur into the background.

Elvis found himself standing still, captivated, as if the air had shifted. She was speaking to the vendor, her voice soft yet clear, her words laced with a Dominican lilt. She smiled at something the man said, a smile so genuine it felt like sunshine breaking through clouds.

For a moment, Elvis forgot who he was. Forgot about the world tour, the stage, the pressure. All he could think about was her.

Before he realized what he was doing, he was moving toward her.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity.

She turned, her eyes meeting his. For a second, there was no recognition, just a polite smile as she greeted him in English, her accent soft but distinct. “Yes? Can I help you?”

Elvis hesitated. Up close, she was even more striking, her features strong and delicate at once. “I just… I couldn’t help but notice you from across the way. You’ve got a beautiful smile.”

She blinked, her smile turning slightly shy. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

There was a pause, the noise of the market momentarily fading into the background.

“I’m Elvis,” he said, offering his hand.

Her brow furrowed slightly, then her eyes widened in realization. “Oh… Elvis Presley?”

He nodded, bracing himself for the usual reaction.

But instead of gushing or asking for a picture, she simply smiled again, warm and easy. “Nice to meet you, Elvis. I’m Lena.”

Her hand was soft in his, her grip firm but gentle.

“You’re not going to ask me to sing somethin’ for you?” he teased, trying to keep the mood light.

She laughed, a light, musical sound. “I think the whole world already knows your voice. Why would I need to ask?”

Elvis grinned, surprised and charmed by her response. “Fair enough. So, Lena… you from around here?”

“Born and raised,” she said, gesturing around them. “This is my barrio. Everyone here is like family.”

He glanced around, seeing the place through her eyes. The sense of community was palpable, from the way people greeted each other to the shared laughter that echoed through the streets. It was nothing like the polished but impersonal world he was used to.

“Well, your family’s got a good thing goin’ here,” he said. “Feels like… home.”

Lena tilted her head, studying him for a moment. “You don’t get that often, do you?”

Elvis paused, caught off guard by her insight. “Not as much as I’d like,” he admitted.

She nodded, her expression softening. “Well, you’re welcome here. Everyone’s welcome in our little corner of the world.”

The day passed in a blur of vibrant encounters. Elvis found himself swept up in the rhythm of the barrio, drawn into conversations, invited to try dishes he couldn’t pronounce but thoroughly enjoyed. People spoke to him like an old friend, asking about his travels, sharing stories of their own.

At one point, he found himself watching a group of men playing dominoes, their movements quick and deliberate as they slapped tiles onto the table with triumphant shouts.

“You ever play?” one of them asked, glancing up at him.

Elvis shook his head. “Can’t say I have.”

“Come on, then,” the man said, motioning for him to join. “We’ll teach you.”

Before he knew it, Elvis was seated at the table, the game explained to him in a mix of Spanish and broken English. He didn’t win, but that didn’t matter. The laughter, the camaraderie—it was unlike anything he’d experienced in a long time.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting everything in a warm, golden glow, Elvis found himself back at the market. Lena was there, helping an elderly woman carry a basket of fruit.

He watched her for a moment, struck again by how naturally she moved through this world. She belonged here, in this vibrant, welcoming place. And yet, as she glanced up and caught his eye, he felt a pull, a sense that maybe—just maybe—he could belong here, too.

Elvis didn’t know what the coming days would bring, but as the first stars began to twinkle in the Caribbean sky, he found himself hoping. Hoping for more moments like this. Hoping for more time with Lena.

And as he walked back to his hotel, the sounds of the barrio still humming in his ears, he realized something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Home wasn’t just a place. It was a feeling.

And for the first time in years, he’d found it.

TAG-LIST: @jhoneybees

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Let's see: Top 5 anime songs, Top 5 musicals, and Top 5 music scores?

whooo, this one took a bit. So...

Top 5 Anime Openings

Let it All Out from FMA Brotherhood

Moon Pride from Sailor Moon Crystal

Go! (or Fighting Dreamers) from Naruto

The Second Opening for Seven Deadly Sins

Alones from Bleach

Top 5 Musicals

Phantom of the Opera

Memphis

Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

RENT

Fiddler on the Roof

Top 5 Musical Scores

King Arthur Legend of the Sword by Daniel Pemberton

In the Heart of the Sea by Baños

Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer

Alexander by Vangelis

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest by Hans Zimmer

These are what you might call my seasonal picks. I'll probably keep updating them as time goes on.

Ask me my "TOP 5" anything!

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Mega Rare Unseen Till Now! A British Fans Candid Photo Of Elvis Presley With Two Stewardess’s On A Commercial Flight In 1969 Also With is Wife Priscilla As Well On This Flight But She Didn’t Want To Be In This Mega Rare Candid Photo. As He And Her Are Flying Back From There Honeymoon Vacation In Nassau In The Caribbean In The Bahamas In 1969 To Graceland There Home In Memphis Tennessee USA.

[parisstreet]

Some Words On 'The Fade'

The Fade was conceived at the start of 2019. It should have been released by the end of that year. But, you know, shit happened, and then more shit happened, and then I reluctantly set it aside to focus on other projects. Then more shit happened.

Four of the songs were demoed and had completed lyrics by March of 2019. Later that month, I went to Memphis to record guitars and vocals with Jack and Neely, 2 of the 3 original Paris Streeters from the band's early years in Nashville.

The parts we were recording were for the You (Too) EP. Since they are both amazingly talented people, it didn't take too long. With some extra time available, I brought out 2 of the 4 new songs. Neely - only needing to hear the song a couple times, and having no clue what the hell the lyrics were about - recorded the backing vocals for 'I Promised Her A Tower' in 2 takes. Jack improvised a couple guitar lines for the song, then did 2 improvised takes on 'The Fade'.

Jack's parts didn't make the final version of either song. Instead, they inspired new songs, mainly because I liked them so much that I didn't want them to get lost in the clutter of all the other crap I toss into a mix. So the guitars from 'I Promised Her A Tower' became the guitars for 'In The City, In The Rain' (which is a cover of a song by The 6ths, and whose title is also a lyric at the end of 'Tower' - this all makes sense, right?). And the guitars from 'The Fade' turned into the guitars for the 'The Fade (Out)', which became the 5th song for the EP, and the closing number that it had previously lacked.

In October of 2019, I came back to Memphis, with the goal being to spend an afternoon recording once again with Jack and Neely, adding more guitar and vocals to the other songs on the EP. But things ended up being cancelled due to illness. It was a bummer, but not a huge blow - I knew I could just come back in a couple months.

You know where this is heading. But we're not there just yet.

In November of 2019, I went to work in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands for 4 months. On my way there, I realized that my creative tank was pretty much empty. I had The Fade - about 60% complete at the time - and not much else. That would have been a good catalyst for wrapping up that other 40% while in the Caribbean.

Instead, I set things aside - it couldn't fully get to 100% without Jack and Neely's parts anyways - and focused on writing completely new songs from scratch, one every day. This spawned the Encanto album, the Encantoo EP, and the Three Saints EP. The Fade itself started to fade from view.

But that was okay, I thought. It was nearing March of 2020 at this point. I decided that - upon returning to the mainland - I would get in touch with Jack and Neely, and plan the next trip to Memphis.

I returned Stateside on March 10. Tom Hanks announced he got COVID the next day. I've yet to make it back to Memphis.

For better or worse, my creative tank was overflowing as the world fell apart. I spent the first months of the pandemic on the 15th Street project, then just kept on writing and recording, releasing 7 different EP's since 2021 (plus 2 albums by my JUBANO! side-project). The Fade was on my mind for a lot of this time, taking up space on my ever-expanding to-do list, but kept being pushed aside for other projects.

But here it is, finally. And there's two main reasons for that.

I accepted the fact that Jack and Neely's only contributions would be those 2 songs we worked on in March of 2019. It'd be a solo thing for the rest of the songs, which also meant I no longer had any justification for putting things off.

My creative tank was (and is) once-again empty. After I Want To Write A Song About That came out in July, I didn't really have much else to focus on. There were only 5 songs left on the to-do list. So I hope you like this one, because it might be a while til the next one.

This was supposed to be my first Sacramento album, the first release entirely inspired by events that took place after I moved to the City Of Trees (even though the first song is set in San Francisco and the third in Scottsdale). Because of all the delays, that distinction ended up going to the hazy, torpid Mostly. This release slipped so far down my list of priorities that I essentially re-wrote the title track for a different release ('What Everyone Wants' from the Sparks EP), and reused one of the lyrics (describing sex as 'an easy kindness') on another one. Both were done because I wasn't completely sure if and when this release would ever come out.

In other words, the things that inspired these songs - a rainy walk around San Francisco, an existential crisis as a partner slept peacefully next to me, a hug in Arizona that couldn't have felt more final, and a lovely night of bar-hopping in my neighborhood - are so far removed from my current life that I sometimes feel like someone else is singing them, describing someone else's life. And maybe that's why I love these songs so much. In this current age, I can write and record a song, then release it within a couple weeks, then never pay attention to it ever again. But I've been singing along (and blissing out to the concluding instrumental) to these songs for over 4 years now. I sing the chorus to 'Topgolf Bullshit' in my car as if I'm singing along to 'Old Town Road' or 'Bad Guy' or anything else that came out in 2019 (I tried to use popular examples there - both are good songs but, in reality, my 2019 singalongs would be tunes by tindersticks, The Divine Comedy, and Lambchop that came out that year).

All I'm trying to say is I think these songs are pretty good. If you give them a chance, a couple might be even better than that (seriously, 'Topgolf Bullshit' is catchy as fuck). In a perfect world, you would have heard them 4 years ago. But, whatever, you can hear them now, finally, and that's all that matters.

Enjoy.

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: Must-Read Humorous Fiction

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola 

Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink

They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?

A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase

Grace Johnson can’t escape the feeling that her life is on autopilot—until her husband announces he’s done with their marriage. Grace has a choice: wallow in humiliation . . . or reluctantly grant her outlandish mother’s seventieth birthday wish with a road trip Graceland. Buckle up, Elvis. We’re on our way.

Now the two are hightailing it from El Paso to Memphis, leaving a trail of sequins, false eyelashes, and difficult memories in their wake. Between spontaneous roadside stops to psychics, wig mishaps, and familiar passive-aggressive zingers, Grace is starting to better understand her Elvis-obsessed mama and their own fragile connection. She may even have another shot at love. Apparently the King really does work in mysterious ways. But after all these years, will it ever be possible for Grace and her mom to heal the hurts of the past?

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Meet Yinka: a thirty-something, Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman with a well-paid job, good friends, and a mother whose constant refrain is "Yinka, where is your huzband?"

Yinka's Nigerian aunties frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, her work friends think she's too traditional (she's saving herself for marriage!), her girlfriends think she needs to get over her ex already, and the men in her life...well, that's a whole other story. But Yinka herself has always believed that true love will find her when the time is right. Still, when her cousin gets engaged, Yinka commences Operation Find-A-Date for Rachel's Wedding. Aided by a spreadsheet and her best friend, Yinka is determined to succeed. Will Yinka find herself a huzband? And what if the thing she really needs to find is herself?

The Singles Table by Sara Desai

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn’t match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season.

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. But when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own.

[weather-usa]

Potential Tropical Cyclone 15 forms in the Caribbean near Belize, with the possibility of developing into Tropical Storm Nadine.

PTC Fifteen, previously designated as Invest 95L by the National Hurricane Center, is currently located near Belize and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.

Climate and Average Weather Year Round in 38116 - Memphis TN:

The National Hurricane Center has classified a developing tropical disturbance in the northwestern Caribbean as Potential Tropical Cyclone 15.

Weather Forecast For 87120 Albuquerque NM:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/203013063/Weather-Forecast-For-87120-Albuquerque-NM

This designation enables the NHC and other authorities to issue tropical weather watches and warnings for systems that haven't yet reached tropical storm strength but are expected to do so within 36 hours, with potential impacts imminent.

Currently, the disturbance is experiencing final stages of development before making landfall in Central America on Saturday.

Potential Tropical Cyclone Fifteen, previously identified as Invest 95L by the National Hurricane Center, is located southeast of Belize and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The system has peak winds of 30-35 mph and is tracking west-northwest.

In response to the threat, the government of Belize has issued a Tropical Storm Watch from Belize City northward to the Mexico border, while the government of Mexico has issued a Tropical Storm Watch from the Belize border northward to Tulum.

Forecast for Potential Tropical Cyclone 15: PTC 15 could still develop into Tropical Storm Nadine if it becomes an organized tropical system with wind speeds of at least 39 mph. However, regardless of its status, the storm is not expected to last long, as it is forecast to move inland over Central America on Saturday, bringing gusty winds and heavy rainfall.

"Residents in Belize and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula should keep an eye on the development of this system," the NHC advised, adding that "locally heavy rainfall is expected across parts of Central America."

Rainfall totals could range from 5 to 8 inches, with locally higher amounts, particularly in Mexico.

See more:

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-83322

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-83323

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-83324

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-83325

https://weatherusa.app/zip-code/weather-83327

The disturbance poses no threat to the U.S. FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross noted that unfavorable atmospheric conditions over Florida and the northern Gulf of Mexico should prevent any tropical systems from impacting the U.S. in the near future.

[businessclasstohouston]

DIY Vacation Planning Vs. Buying a Packaged Tour

A dilemma always remains among vacationers whether they should plan their tour all by themselves or would hire an agent who can plan their tour by creating an itinerary strategically by following their time and budget. If you are also in a fix and couldn’t decide how to deal with the confusion, this article is for you just before you book tickets for a business class New Zealand and plan to go there without booking the accommodation.

Decide whether to book the ticket soon after checking out the comparative analysis done in the given section—

What it is about DIY vacation planning? A look

If you prefer calling yourself a traveller more than a tourist then DIY is the ultimate goal whenever you are off for a vacation, rather travel whether to a new foreign country or nearby. For a Caribbean vacation, you can start exploring the official websites of the airlines flying to Trinidad and compare them with the available flight deals at the premium aggregator sites before you book the tickets for cheap flights to Trinidad from UK.

It will be a tiring process as you have to spend quite some time doing the initial research to find cheap flight tickets if you are looking for a budget tour. The same goes for finding hotel deals. However, in this course, you might miss out a few tricks that only the OTAs or the tour agents know while booking the tickets for flights to Caribbean from UK or hotels followed by sightseeing tours and activities.

What it is about a packaged tour?

However, if the plan is to enjoy a 100% hassle-free vacation, then find a reputed online travel agency or an OTA like White Magic Travels and let the experts there help you get the end-to-end service. From booking the round-way tickets of the best flights to Memphis from UK or any destination that you choose to find the best accommodation, the OTA will always be ready to go a step extra to serve their customers with the finest services they expect.

Including the local sightseeing tour will also make it a pleasant vacation. As places like the Caribbean are always experiencing the footfalls, book your beach activities before visiting there so that you can easily get your diving gear, surfing board, and even a canoe if you are interested in kayaking.

Like many other vacationers, if you want to travel freely, then ask your agency to book a rental car from the airport. Carry your driving license along with your passport and boarding pass while travelling overseas to enjoy hiring a rental car at your ease.

[businessclassflightdealstosydney]

Witness Japan’s top tourist attractions- Winter Illuminations

If you have already started planning for your Christmas holiday vacations then despite the famous Caribbean beaches, Yellowstone National Park or Dubai, visit Japan to witness their famous Winter Illuminations. Visit an online OTA or aggregator site to book one of the best premium economy flights UK to Far East or a business class flight to Japan.

Also, pre-book tickets for round-trip premium economy flights to Memphis or wherever you are from to avoid the last-moment rush of tourists heading to Japan.

Usually, there is no fee, which is scheduled to see this phenomenal winter charisma in Japan. Besides the locals, Japan witnesses the footfalls of international tourists flying here to get the essence of this incredible winter illuminations.

 The locations of these illuminations are enlisted in the following discussion: 

Sapporo: this is the capital famous for hosting snow festivals. Every year this event attracts near about two million people from the corners of the country and abroad. The scenic beauty of this location is no less than a Disney Land Fairytale land. This mesmerizing location is ascending its position among the top Japanese tourist attractions chart. 

Roppongi Hills: A 30-foot Christmas tree is set up at 66 Plaza, which is eye candy for travellers. Despite planning to book tickets for premium economy flights to Montego Bay book flights heading to Tokyo instead to witness these jaw-dropping Christmas lights.

Shirakawa-go: This is a world heritage site accredited by UNESCO. This location is famous for its snow-clad thatched roof houses. The white chain of lights covers the houses creating an enigmatic atmosphere. The best time to visit this heritage site is from mid-January to mid-February. 

Like any smart tourist, pre-plan your next trip to Japan. The agency that helps you book tickets for premium economy flights UK to Banjul, USA, Australia or elsewhere can also arrange a packaged tour to your next Far East venture.

[newstfionline]

Friday, February 3, 2023

Leaving (Gallup) An analysis of survey data of 127,000 respondents in 122 countries collected throughout 2021 found that 16 percent of adults around the world—the equivalent of 900 million people—would like to leave their country permanently if they could, a sentiment that reached 37 percent among respondents in Latin America and the Caribbean, 37 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and 27 percent in the Middle East and North Africa. More than half of the respondents in multiple countries wanted to move away, with levels highest in Sierra Leone (76 percent would like to move to a different country), Lebanon (63 percent), Honduras (56 percent) and Gabon (55 percent). The most desired destination is still the United States, where 18 percent of potential migrants said they would most like to get to, followed by Canada (8 percent of migrants) and Germany (7 percent).

Police traffic stops (BBC) Tyre Nichols is one of dozens of drivers to have died in recent years after being pulled over by police. The death of Mr Nichols in Memphis has highlighted how one of the most common interactions the public has with police—the traffic stop—can turn deadly. Last year, at least 86 people were killed by police in interactions that began as traffic stops. Since 2017, more than 800 people have been killed after being pulled over in the US, according to statistics from the Mapping Police Violence database. Last year, traffic stops led to roughly 7% of all police killings nationwide. Larry James, general counsel of the National Fraternal Order of Police, told the BBC that the dangers of a stop—when an officer doesn’t know who, or what, is in a vehicle—mean they must exercise caution. “There have been situations where officers have been shot, just flat out killed or seriously injured, in traffic stops. That’s the bottom line. So they’re extremely cautious,” he said. Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a law professor and co-director of the Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, said that a lot of police training for traffic stops is “antiquated”. “As dangerous as police officers are taught it is for them, we know that civilians are killed at a far greater rate by police officers than in reverse,” she said. Police departments also give officers incentives to pull people over, seeing traffic stops as a way to fill city coffers or using them as a metric for officers to be evaluated.

Frustrated Texans endure winter storm with no power, heat (AP) Thousands of frustrated Texans shivered in their homes Thursday after more than a day without power, including many in the state capital, as an icy winter storm that has been blamed for at least 10 traffic deaths lingered across much of the southern U.S. Even as temperatures finally pushed above freezing in Austin—and were expected to climb past 50 degrees (10 Celsius) on Friday—the relief will be just in time for an Arctic front to drop from Canada and threaten northern states. Across Texas, 430,000 customers lacked power Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us. But the failures were most widespread in Austin, where frustration mounted among more than 156,000 customers over 24 hours after their electricity went out, which for many also meant their heat. Power failures have affected about 30% of customers in the city of nearly a million at any given time since Wednesday. For many Texans, it was the second time in three years that a February freeze—temperatures were in the 30s Thursday with wind chills below freezing — caused prolonged outages and uncertainty over when the lights would come back on.

Biden’s ‘no’ on F-16s for Ukraine met with skepticism in Pentagon (Washington Post) President Biden’s brusque refusal to fulfill Ukraine’s request for F-16 jets has been greeted with skepticism at the Pentagon, where some officials, citing the administration’s pattern of reversal after first rejecting other pleas from Kyiv, foresee eventual approval or a scenario where American allies provide the aircraft with administration approval. One senior defense official, who, like some others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that while the Pentagon’s calculus was unlikely to shift soon, there remains a possibility that the discussion could be “M1-ed,” a reference to Biden’s recent commitment of M1 Abrams tanks after administration officials suggested for months that the sophisticated arms would be too complex for Ukraine to maintain.

Ukraine Fears New Offensive Is Underway as Russia Masses Troops (NYT) Moscow has massed hundreds of thousands of troops in Ukraine and is targeting dozens of places a day in a markedly stepped-up barrage of artillery attacks. Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold their ground on a 140-mile stretch in the east, awaiting tanks, armored vehicles and other weapons systems from the West. Ukrainian officials have been bracing for weeks for a new Russian offensive that could rival the opening of the war. Now, they are warning that the campaign is underway, with the Kremlin seeking to reshape the battlefield and seize the momentum. “I think it has started,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said this week.

Hindu vigilantes carry out wave of anti-Christian violence in India (Washington Post) Over two decades of practicing and proselytizing Christianity, Badinath Salam had been kicked out of his home several times and often harassed. But in December, he recalled, the vitriol turned virulent. Leaders in his Indigenous Indian village beat drums to summon all 100 households to a clearing, he said. There, gathered villagers pummeled their Christian neighbors, who made up one-fifth of their village, and left Salam hospitalized for three days. When the drumbeats began again a week later, on Jan. 9, Salam ran for his life. In this part of central India, he wasn’t the only Christian forced to flee. Since December, Hindu vigilantes in Chhattisgarh state in eastern India, enraged by the spread of Christianity and rallied by local political leaders, have assaulted and displaced hundreds of Christian converts in dozens of villages and left a trail of damaged churches, according to interviews with local Christians and activists and as seen during a recent trip to the area. In villages, bruised and beaten Christian converts picked through the rubble of churches destroyed by mobs wielding sledgehammers. In dusty townships, Hindu nationalist leaders led impassioned rallies promising more action against Christian conversions. In an empty government gym of the dusty township of Narayanpur, evicted families including Salam’s sought refuge, sleeping on mats next to a few sacks of spare clothes and grain.

Iran imprisons couple for 10½ years after they danced in public, activists say (Washington Post) An Iranian couple have been jailed for more than 10 years each after a video of them dancing romantically near a Tehran monument was posted on social media, according to the activist news agency HRANA. Astiaj Haghighi and Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, Instagram influencers who are reportedly in their early 20s, were arrested by security forces at home in November, the activist group said. They were sentenced by a Tehran court to 10½ years in prison each for “promotion of impurity and indecency, assembly and collusion against national security, and propaganda against the regime.” Their imprisonment comes amid a broader crackdown by Iran’s theocratic government in a bid to extinguish a months-long uprising calling for its ouster. Women and young people are playing a central role in the movement. In some cities, women have taken off their headscarves and set them on fire, in an act of defiance against the ruling Islamists. (Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf in the video of the couple dancing that circulated.) Others have cut their hair in public. At least 14,000 people, including children, have been arrested during the protests, the United Nations said in November, adding that by a “conservative” estimate, more than 300 people have killed. HRANA also estimates that Iran has issued at least 22 death sentences and charged more than 100 people with capital offenses.

Blinken visit deepens Israeli and Palestinian skepticism about U.S. role (Washington Post) On one topic, Israelis and Palestinians appear to agree: Both are deeply skeptical, even scornful, of renewed calls made by the Biden administration this week for a two-state solution here. Many called the gesture—at this moment of violence and radicalism—feeble, even farcical. On his first trip to the region after the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power, and amid days of escalating bloodshed, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken promoted the long-held dream of two states side by side—one Israeli, one Palestinian—as the best guarantor of peace. But recent polling suggests that only a third of Palestinians and Israelis believe in two states today, and they both blame the United States for not doing more. Outside the post office in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, Ahmad Abdulaziz, a young accountant, said “the two-state solution is like a song the Americans sing when they want to pacify us. It’s like a lullaby you sing to children to put them to sleep.”

The Grid Grinds To A Stop (CNN) South Africa is the latest country to face power grid issues, with the situation escalating to the point that President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering declaring a national state of disaster. Outages have caused a variety of issues, including car crashes, opportunistic criminals, rotting food, decomposing bodies, bankrupt businesses, and water shortages. State-run power company Eskom has struggled with corruption issues since its creation in 1994, and the South African government has failed to create the new power plants experts say are needed to keep up with demand for decades. Even established power plants are a problem area due to lack of maintenance and criminals stealing both coal and power cables for resale. To compensate for its failing infrastructure and energy shortages, Eskom has resorted to nationwide rolling blackouts occurring multiple times per day, affecting even the most basic services. South African citizens have been advised to bury their dead within found days as morgues lack the resources to keep bodies preserved for longer periods, police have struggled to control crime due to traffic jams caused by a lack of traffic lights, and average people can’t cook or even use water due to constant rolling outages. The country’s government is coming under increased fire from demonstrators and political organizations, with no solution in sight.

Pope consoles Congolese victims: ‘Your pain is my pain’ (AP) Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Congo’s people to forgive those who committed “inhuman violence” against them, celebrating a Mass for 1 million people and then hearing firsthand of the atrocities some of them have endured. Francis sat in silence as victim after victim came forward to tell their stories. He watched as they offered up at the foot of a crucifix a symbol of their pain: the machete used to maim and kill, or the straw bed mat on which they had been raped. When they knelt in front of him for a blessing, Francis placed his hand on their heads, or on the stumps of the arms that remained. “Your tears are my tears; your pain is my pain,” Francis told them. “To every family that grieves or is displaced by the burning of villages and other war crimes, to the survivors of sexual violence and to every injured child and adult, I say: I am with you; I want to bring you God’s caress.” The intimate encounter at the Vatican Embassy in Kinshasa was an extraordinary moment of a pastor seeking to console his flock, and of a pope seeking to shine a spotlight on what Francis has called a “forgotten genocide” that barely makes the news. Despite being home to one of the largest U.N. peacekeeping operation in the world, eastern Congo has been mired in violence since the early 1990s as rebels and militias vie for control of mineral-rich territory.

[ausetkmt]

The Black population is on the rise in the United States.

From 2002-2022, the Black population has grown by 32 percent which amounts to 11 million people. In total, there are almost 48 million Black people in the country according to a research study conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Mark Lopez, director of Race and Ethnicity Work at the Pew Center said that the Black population is keeping pace with the growth of other ethnic groups who were subjects of the study.

“The African American population is not the fastest growing, but they are growing at least as fast as the rest of the nation,” Lopez told The Philadelphia Tribune. The nation’s Asian population, for example, has grown more quickly. The nation’s white population has grown a little more slowly. As the nation has grown, so has the Black population. 

“Since 2000, Blacks have represented about 13 to 14 percent of the U.S. population of the nation. The number of Americans who say they are two or more races has gone up—and there has been a rise in the inter-race marriage rate. Also, there have been more people saying they are both Black and Hispanic on census forms.”The study shows that the general fertility rate for Black females aged 15-44 was 6.1 percent in 2022.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is not the reason that would only have been a factor the past few years. The national Black population was growing before that time across the nation,” Lopez continued. “The Black population looks a lot like other groups. The fertility rate was a little higher for Latinos, and a little lower for white Americans.”

Among the several factors that caused the Black population growth include a rise in birth rates among Black women between the ages of 15 to 44; interracial marriages have increased; more mixed-raced people have chosen to identify as Black, a notable rise of immigrants from African and Caribbean countries, and the fertility rate among Black females ages 15-44 rose 6.1 percent in 2022.

Since 2000, foreign-born Black Americans have doubled from 2.4 million people to 5.1 million.  Foreign-born U.S. Blacks now make up 11% of the nation’s population.

Another key component discovered in the study is that Black Americans are the youngest of all ethnic groups. Although just 12 percent were 65 or older, 30 percent of the entire Black population was below the age of 20.

“When we take a look at the national Black population—they are relatively young compared to the nation’s white population,” Lopez noted. “For many young Black Americans, they play an important role in helping to diversify the workforce.”

Revealing the ever-present racial wealth gap, the study showed that 49 percent of Black households in the U.S. earned less than $50,000 and 51 percent of the Black population earned $50,000 or more. Only a third of African-American households earned $75,000 or more while 22% of Black households reported $100,000 or more in income that year.

Additionally, married couples represented 39 percent of Black households with 31 percent of African American households being led by single women, and 5 percent of households were led by single men.

The growth of the Black population in the U.S. is also seen in geographical terms. In May, Memphis, Tenn., overtook Detroit as the nation’s largest majority-Black city in America.

According to the 2022 population estimates, Memphis’ Black population grew to 621,056 while Detroit boasts 620,376, a small difference of just 680 residents. 

Both midwestern cities “have a larger percentage of Black residents than bigger cities like New York and Chicago.”

BET: Black Population Has Grown By 32 Percent, According to New Research

[elvisbdoll]

From Memphis to the Caribbean

Summary:

In 1975, during his world tour, Elvis Presley arrives in the Dominican Republic, seeking refuge from the pressures of fame. In the heart of a vibrant barrio, he meets Lena, a spirited young woman whose warmth and authenticity captivate him. As their worlds intertwine, Elvis experiences the rich culture, cuisine, and camaraderie of the Dominican people, who treat him not as a star but as one of their own. Amid music, laughter, and love, Elvis discovers a connection unlike anything he’s ever known, but will their love withstand the pull of fame and the life he left behind?

MASTERLIST!

Prologue: Under the Caribbean sun

CONTINUE…

[inthecityofgoodabode]

My little hoard

I have a little treasure chest that I keep assorted small items in that I’ve hung onto over the years. It’s mostly coins and found items. The current inventory is 1 bobber that I found on the bank while fishing, a $1 roulette chip, a 25 cent and a $1 token from the President Casino is Biloxi, 1 shell, 6 interesting rocks (too small for proper throwing), a novelty coin with an Allosaurus on it (I don’t remember where I got but I’ve had it since I was a kid), 35 cents in Canadian coinage, a 10 Franc piece, a Grand Cayman 1 cent piece, 1 East Caribbean States 25 cent piece, 21 pounds and 23 pence from a high school graduation trip to Scotland and England (Countries listed in order of preference. No offense intended as I enjoyed my time in England but I’m a Southerner from the US and Scotland & its people felt more like home.), a silver medal of Saint Christopher and a racy novelty coin that my paternal grandfather gave me when I was twelve or thirteen: 

The Saint Christopher medal: 

This is the racy novelty coin. This side say “Heads I win.” This is the side that will probably get this post flagged since the algorithm thinks two fried eggs on a plate is a “female presenting nipples”:

The other side says “Tails you lose.” I never got the chance to get the story behind the coin out of my grandfather but, knowing what I know about him, I bet it was a good one:     

[butler-on-beale-street]

Code Name Memphis |Bond!Austin Butler| Prologue 

Warnings: Descriptions of dangerous situations, gun violence, foul language, sexiness (beware).

Word Count: 600

A/N: I've wanted to do a James Bond AU for a long time now, and Austin seemed to be the perfect fit. Hold on to your britches. We shall see where this goes.

"Cut to the left!" the voice commanded in his earpiece as Austin sped down a ragged and dangerous cliff-side road. It was cut into the rockface of a mountain, almost a thousand feet into the sky. If he had had time to take in the view, he would have been astonished at the picture below him. Nestled within the mountains below, the beaches of the lesser Antilles thrived, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea which seemed to go on forever. 

"Memphis? Do you respond?" The voice asked. Austin spun the wheel of his Aston Martin through a small tunnel burrowed within the mountain.

"I'm here, dammit," He said. "Not much time for chit chat right now. I'm currently running for my life."

"The drones have spotted you. An entire fleet of them. Cars are eight seconds behind you." Austin lowered his gaze with determination, the headlights of his car illuminating the roughly excavated mine. "There's only one issue." 

"What are you saying?" Austin said after a deep exhalation. "What is it?" 

"Expect a drop in five seconds. Don't press your breaks or you will most certainly die–"

"Five seconds? What? OH MY GOD!" Austin shouted, feeling the earth drop from underneath his car, sending him in a freefall, his body lifting from the seat of the car. He jammed his foot against the gas pedal just as the agent had instructed, his body being infiltrated with terror. His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, his teeth gritted so hard he was sure he'd need an orthodontist–if he survived. After an endless moment of weightlessness, the car smashed back into the earth, causing the vehicle to spin on its axle to face where Austin had just tempted fate. The headlights flooded the cavern with light, revealing a crystalline internal cliff that was littered with Stalactites and natural rock forms. The darkness beyond them confirmed Austin's worst fear. 

"You just made me Evel Knievel a mine shaft?" Austin shouted into the earpiece. 

"You survived, didn't you?" The voice said calmly on the other end. 

"I did, but I'll have to double check my underwear," He answered with a grin. His eyes darted upward as he saw several vehicles screech to a halt having seen the obvious obstacle in front of them. He couldn't conceal the smug grin that creeped along his face. 

"Memphis. Don't be arrogant. They've got guns. Lots of them." The agent warned. He wasn't lying. From what Austin could see, he watched as the drivers lined their vehicles side by side, rolling down their windows and pointing uzis and AK-47s directly at him. "Bullet-proof or bullet-resistant?" The agent asked with levity. 

"Guess we'll find out soon enough," Austin answered, peeling the car out as he threw it into the highest gear that it could shift safely into. "Don't fail me now," He said, Slamming his foot out. The vehicle cried out against the loose rock as it gained traction, kicking up a cloud of dust as it turned and sped away from the buzz of bullets ricocheting off of its surface. 

"Try not to total this one, eh?" The voice said. 

"Hmph, you know if I didn't know you, I'd think you'd actually cared about me. But it turns out you're just worried about liability coverage." Austin said, checking his rear-view mirror, both looking at himself and at any possible threat. 

"Report back at 16:00 when you've arrived at the next out-post. I will have more information once you retrieve the package." 

taglist: @mamaspresley @anestesia-mxm @misspygmypie @austin-butlers-gf @cozacorner @she-is-juniper @shimmeringlights44 @mariposa-mila @austinelvisimagines @sagesolsticewrites @guns-n-queen @anangelwhodidntfall @avengen @suitrry @eurusthewanderer @domaniquessidehoe @kittenlittle24 @softmullet @cb97slut @hunterthecharmer @mirandastuckinthe80s @stargiirl27 @maddieks-blog @kyddosebastian @girlnairb @its-funny-til-its-not @im-just-star-dust @bobbykennedyfan @venus-haze @groovydeputyfestivalkid @hockeyfootballhoe @21bruhs @thebeatlesbitch @dangerdolll @captured-memory @kingelviscreole @adoreyouusugar @slutforblueeyes @theinvisiblecapricorn @ghxst-heart @yagirlalexx @sapph1re @madzandflowerz31 @kaycinema @theloveoftoms @annamarie16 @omgellenlouise @re3kin @feverdawg @cutie-ghost @shynovelist @citzeria @fxntxsix @rheathesimp @madzandflowerz31 @writeroutoftime @bamitzzsam @meladollsims @mslizziesblog

[oh-katsuki]

i'm on my knees and hands to beg you to tell us more. I WANNA KNOW MOREEE - mustard enjoyer

mustard enjoyer... i would be happy to. im gonna put it below a cute bc it’s long.

okay so american bbq sauces originated on southern slave plantations but the flavor profile can actually be traced all the way back to the Caribbean and Africa where pepper and lime were a common seasoning for meat (and still are) as well as native settlements in the continental US. for the sake of the bbq sauce we're talking about (southern states bbq) i'm just gonna focus on its African and Caribbean roots since that's what i wrote my paper on and also bbq has a lot of different origins.

that being said, "american" (because what's really American?) bbq sauce originated with a sauce made from almost purely tomato and vinegar on southern plantations. so it started with two common types, tomato and vinegar, and mustard seed and vinegar depending on where in the continental US the slaves who made it were held. so if the land being cultivated there were more suited to tomato, tomato-based bbq sauce was made and in places where the mustard seed was more common, the sauce was mustard-based. that's the easy way to explain it.

as it usually goes with things like this, the white people at the time didn't really acknowledge bbq sauce as it was created / brought to America by slaves until they decided that they enjoyed it and essentially commandeered it. so keep in mind as i go through regional bbq sauces that the majority of these originated with slaves and from places affected by the trans-atlantic slave trade as well as native people living in the continental us during colonization.

so by region, there is north carolina and virginia bbq sauce which is vinegar-based and tends to be more bitter and tangy, tennessee bbq sauce which is tomato-based unusually sweet and is a result of Memphis being along the river which gave people access to things like molasses for cheaper prices, south Carolina regional barbecue is mustard-based and tends to be yellow/gold in color with a tangy and slightly sweet flavor (though not as sweet as Memphis bbq), and texas bbq which borrows from vinegar-based but is sweeter and slightly acidic as a result of its influence from tomato-based bbq sauces.

bbq sauce has SO MANY different influences depending on which one you're talking about as a result of which nationality the people in the region were (ie; mustard based sauces originated in an area where german and french settlers were common). but it's also important to acknowledge that the origin of bbq sauces is so difficult to trace BECAUSE of the trans-atlantic slave trade and the way white Americans at the time took from the culture of African people and slaves while simultaneously refusing to acknowledge them. 

[dreamsister81]

Jeff and therapy:

 "Emotions are very hard for people to handle. The Greeks made up Gods and goddesses around their emotions, and gave their names and faces and had relationships with them. We don't have that, we have therapy. Which ain't bad. I love therapy. But generally people think they're just meat and that emotions visit on them like in-laws. I've never felt like that."-Melody Maker, April 9, 1994

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.

.

"I'm in therapy so that if I'm in a relationship with somebody, it's me that I'm sending and not my scars and my ghosts." He recommends it to all artists because it "makes the subconscious conscious."-The Gazette, October 6, 1994

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.

"One of the funniest moments of my life was bringing mine and Jeff's analyst, who's 76 years old and an an extremely conservative lady, to one of Jeff's shows. I lied to the tour manager that I had Jeff's grandmother with me to get her backstage and then Jeff just ran up to her and put his fingers through her helmet of curled blue hair. She's smiling like a 14-year-old and he's saying, 'I love you, Jane' and she's cooing, 'Oh, Mr. Buckley,' and all these industry people are looking on aghast."-Penny Arcade, NME, May 2, 1998

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(Marianne) Faithful was also friends with Penny Arcade, on who's doorstep Buckley turned up in tears later that night, his final evening in New York before heading to Memphis. The platonic pair had spent a considerable amount of time together in these previous few months; even though she didn't drink, Arcade was quite prepared to hold up whatever bar he nominated, as he spilled his guts on his career, his life, even his love of The Grifters. He'd even started to consider the of hiring her team of dancers to open his next Australian tour. Arcade had seen him in some distress a week or so earlier, when they learned that the analyst they both saw, an African American woman named Mrs. Williams, wasn't just out of town, but had actually suffered a heart attack while holidaying in the Caribbean. This time though, he was 'inconsolable'. It took Arcade several hours of comforting to get him back to some kind of coherent state, and not until early the next morning, the day of his departure for Memphis, did he seem to have regained some of his composure. The feeling is that his meltdown was related to 'coming to terms with his analysis and his father.' Buckley may have also been trying to extricate himself from his relationship with (Joan) Wasser.-from A Pure Drop

📷 Merri Cyr

[beardedmrbean]

Officials recently seized a brick of cocaine that was found hidden inside a cut-out high school cookbook in Tennessee.

According to a press release from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the incident happened on February 17, when customs agents assigned to an express consignment hub in Memphis, Tennessee encountered a package that had paperwork indicating it was a high school cookbook.

The seizure announced on Thursday comes as CBP officers continue to intercept illicit narcotics that are sent through the mail and hidden inside an array of different items.

Inside the package, CBP officers discovered a cookbook titled, The Multi-Cultural Cuisine of Trinidad & Tobago & the Caribbean.

Upon further inspection of the package, CBP officers discovered that "many of the 500 recipes and 32 colored photographs missing." The pages were cut out and CBP officers found a package of cocaine hidden inside. According to CBP, the package contained 147.6 grams of cocaine.

The cocaine was sent from Trinidad and Tobago and destined to an address in New York City's Little Caribbean neighborhood, CBP said.

"How was the recipient intending to cook his traditional callaloo, with all the pages cut up and replaced with cocaine," Memphis Port Director Michael Neipert said in the press release. "Smugglers continue to conceal narcotics and other contraband in myriad ways, which my officers seize over and over every shift."

In a photo posted to Twitter by CBP's Gulf Coast sector, the brick of cocaine can be seen hidden within the cut-out pages of the cookbook.

Earlier this month, CBP officers made a similar seizure, intercepting over 100 grams of ketamine that was hidden inside a package of porridge. CBP officers at the express consignment facility in Memphis discovered a package that was described as organic rice and organic banana multi-grain porridge.

"Sealed aluminum bags within each box contained a total of 271 grams of ketamine in white powder form. The shipment was sent from London, England to an apartment in New York's Hudson Valley region," CBP said in a press release on Thursday.

Following the seizure of the ketamine, Neipert asked, "I know it's organic, but why would you need two boxes of baby food sent across the Atlantic Ocean to your apartment?"

"My officers use their experience and expertise to target shipments while considering a variety of elements. They see all methods of smuggling and can quickly and efficiently spot shipments requiring a closer look," Neipert added.

According to data provided to Newsweek, CBP officers across the nation have seized over 113,000 pounds of drugs that were sent in the mail and express consignment environment from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021.