#if i was born in ohio in 1993

[rabidty]

i hate genuinely being in love with a celebrity.

[olympic-paris]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more …

September 7

48 BC – Albius Tibullus is born near Rome (d.19 BC). Known primarily as a love elegist, his poems tell of his lust for the handsome Marathus but alas, he never gets him.

1933 – Robert Chetwyn (d.2015), was a British director and actor, known for Westbeach (1993), God's Chosen Car Park (1986) and That Uncertain Feeling (1985), and who championed Joe Orton’s outrageous farces and saw promise in a young Ian McKellen.

He was born Robert Suckling on September 7 1930 in London, the son of a chauffeur and a cook, and trained as an actor at Central School of Speech and Drama – changing his name in the process. On graduation, in 1951, he spent more than a decade acting for rep companies.

In 1967 he directed There’s a Girl in My Soup, a farce by Terence Frisby. The show ran for six years in the West End, a record at the time.

Success breeds success in the theatre. Chetwyn was now the comedy director of choice in London and the following year he directed Flora Robson as Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, and the world premiere of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound. In 1969, Chetwyn brought his precise style to bear on the unruly work of Joe Orton, staging What the Butler Saw for the first time.

The 1970s were bracketed for Chetwyn by two productions with Ian McKellen. In 1971, he directed the actor in Hamlet at the Nottingham Playhouse. The critics were underwhelmed, and on the first night Chetwyn overheard in the lavatory his production being dismissed as "damned teenage twaddle".

It may have seemed like twaddle for middle-aged critics up from London, but for the younger generation of theatre-goers McKellen was an electrifying presence – their Olivier – and Chetwyn’s production spoke directly to them.

At the decade’s end the director and actor paired up again for Martin Sherman's ground-breaking drama, Bent, a play about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. Chetwyn later recalled that "reading Bent was a powerful experience – shamefully, as a gay man, I knew nothing of the Nazi persecution of homosexuals." He sent the script to McKellen, who agreed to play the lead. Bent had a sold-out run at the Royal Court and then transferred to the West End.

In 1983 he returned to the stage to direct Eastward Ho!, a musical updating of a play by Ben Jonson and the product of a collaboration between the ex-pat American writer Howard Schuman and the composer Nick Bicat. Once again, Chetwyn demonstrated his eye for recognising talent: a young Mark Rylance delighted the audience with an acrobatic singing number.

He carried on working into his seventies and as retirement approached continued to focus on young talent, directing productions at Rada. Chetwyn first met Howard Schuman in 1967 and the pair almost immediately set up home together in Ecclestone Square, London, entering a civil partnership in 2006. Robert Chetwyn died in 2015. Howard Schuman survives him.

1956 – Michael Feinstein is an American singer and pianist, and an interpreter of and anthropologist and archivist for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. The Library of Congress elected him to the National Sound Recording Advisory Board, an organisation dedicated to safeguarding America's musical heritage.

Feinstein was born to Jewish-American parents in Columbus, Ohio. At the age of five, he studied piano for a couple of months until his teacher became angered that he wasn't reading the sheet music she gave him, since he was more comfortable playing by ear. As his mother saw no problem with her son's method, she took him out of lessons and allowed him to enjoy music his own way.

After graduating from high school, he worked in local piano bars for two years, moving to Los Angeles when he was 20. Through the widow of legendary concert pianist-actor Oscar Levant, he was introduced to Ira Gershwin, who hired him to catalogue his extensive collection of phonograph records. The assignment led to a six-year musical excavation of Gershwin's home in Beverly Hills, preserving the legacy of not just Ira but his composer brother George Gershwin, who had died four decades earlier, as well. Feinstein's extended tenure enabled him to get to know next-door neighbor Rosemary Clooney, with whom he formed an intensely close friendship lasting until Clooney's death. He later would serve as musical consultant for My One and Only, a Broadway musical pastiche of Gershwin tunes.

Liza Minnelli helped sponsor his 1986 New York City debut, and his Broadway show, Isn't It Romantic, was a critical and commercial success. Three years later, he recorded his first CD, The MGM Album, a collection of tunes from some of the studio's most popular movie musicals. He followed this in quick succession with Live at the Algonquin and compilations of songs by Burton Lane, Jule Styne, and Jerry Herman.

The four-time Grammy Award-nominee has spent his entire adult life chronicling, cataloguing, preserving, protecting, and recording the work of various composers, including musical greats like the Gershwins and such lesser-known names as Hugh Martin, Jimmy Webb, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, and Johnny Mercer.

Feinstein is the owner of the Manhattan nightclub, Feinstein's at the Regency, a showcase for cabaret performers. He himself performs there for a sold-out Christmas holiday stint each year.

Feinstein recently completed a six-part Warner Home Video series for television that depicts the history of the American popular song up to 1960.

In October 2008, Feinstein married his longtime partner Terrence Flannery. The ceremony was performed by famed family court and television judge Judith Sheindlin, also known as Judge Judy. Feinstein and Flannery have homes in New York and Los Angeles.

1957 – Jermaine Stewart (d.1997) was an American dancer and singer best known for the worldwide hit We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, William Jermaine Stewart always loved to dance. At school, he would often give dance lessons to other children for a $1 a lesson. In 1972, the Stewart family moved to Chicago. It was here that Jermaine took his first steps towards a career in show business. He joined a local dance group, and went out on the road with The Chi-Lites and The Staple Singers. This was followed by stints on both American Bandstand and later Soul Train. By the early 1980s, he joined the classic Hewitt/Watley/Daniels line up of Shalamar on tour as a backing vocalist and dancer.

The next step was to launch his own singing career. He took his first tentative steps by providing backing vocals to several established acts such as The Temptations and notably, Culture Club. Jermaine can be clearly heard as a vocal support to Boy George on the track Miss Me Blind.

It was his work with Culture Club which lead to a solo recording contract with Clive Davis' Arista Records (10 Records in the UK), thanks to the help of Culture Club's Mikey Craig. His first single The Word Is Out in 1984, preceded an album of the same name the following year.

John "Jellybean" Benitez produced two highly danceable tracks on Jermaine's second album Frantic Romantic, but it was Narada Michael Walden, a hit recording artist in his own right, who penned and produced the song that would forever be associated with Jermaine Stewart, We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off. The song, supported by a strong video, became an international success. The album quickly went on to become a million seller, and a second single, Jody was released, the inspiration of the song being Jody Watley of Shalamar. Jermaine's third album, Say It Again, was probably his most successful internationally.

In 1992, Jermaine teamed up with Chicago producer Jesse Saunders for his last recorded work, entitled Set Me Free, a return to his earlier style. The title track was released as a single in the US, but found little success. The album remains unreleased. The rest of the 1990s saw Jermaine battling long term illness. He did, however, begin recording a new album in 1996, which remains unfinished and unreleased.

Jermaine Stewart died on 17 March from liver cancer caused by HIV/AIDS. Ironically, his biggest hit We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off, with its safe sex message, was one of the first mainstream pop responses to the AIDS crisis.

1979 – Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist, who performs solo as Owen Pallett or, before 2010, under the name Final Fantasy. As Final Fantasy, he won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds.

On his Final Fantasy releases, Pallett has collaborated with Leon Taheny, who is credited as drummer and engineer. Following the release of Heartland, Pallett has toured with guitarist/percussionist Thomas Gill and more recently with his former collaborators in Les Mouches, Rob Gordon and Matt Smith.

Pallett has been noted for his live performances, wherein he plays the violin into a loop pedal, a technique also used by musicians such as Andrew Bird, Jeremy Larson, Kishi Bashi, Emily Wells and Zoë Keating.

He believes his work is implicitly influenced by his sexuality, saying, "As far as whether the music I make is gay or queer, yeah, it comes from the fact that I'm gay, but that doesn't mean I'm making music about it."

Patrick Borjal, Pallett's boyfriend, began working as his manager in 2006, and formed the management company Boyfriend Management.

1988 – Max Emerson is an American actor, model, author, director and YouTuber. He is known for his modelling and social media profile, particularly on Instagram, and he wrote and directed the movie Hooked. He has appeared on TV in small roles, including the season 5 finale of Glee.

Emerson was born in Vero Beach, Florida and studied for a BFA in performance and directing at the University of Miami, from where he graduated in 2009. Emerson began modeling while he was a student.

He wrote, produced, co-directed and acted in two short films, DipSpit and Earwig, which were shown for the first time at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on April 26, 2011. Earwig is a drama about a closeted gay college student, while DipSpit is a comedy about two straight male models who get kicked out and move in with a gay college student.

In October 2015, Emerson announced his intention to produce an independent film called "Hooked" for which he had written the story, telling the story of a homeless gay prostitute called Jack and addressing the problems faced by homeless LGBT youth. He aimed to raise $150,000 for the project via Indiegogo and give half of any profits made to charities benefiting LGBT people. The launch video for the Indiegogo campaign featured Todrick Hall and musician Tom Goss. As part of it he released a single with Goss called "Not Enough". The campaign was supported by Out magazine.

In October 2016, he posted the trailer for the new film. Hooked had its world premiere at NewFest: The New York LGBT Film Festival on June 26, 2017, and its European premiere at the 7th Homochron film festival in Cologne on October 20 the same year.

Emerson wrote an autobiography, Hot Sissy – Life Before Flashbulbs, describing his teenage years growing up in a "redneck" area of Florida. Hot Sissy was released as an e-book and in a limited print run of 500 hardcover copies in December 2014. The limited editions were each signed and came with an original Polaroid picture.

In 2015, Emerson described his move toward sobriety in an Instagram post.

In June 2016, he publicly introduced his boyfriend, Andrés Camilo, an officer in the US Army, in a YouTube video. Emerson has an active social media presence and posts regularly on YouTube where his username is "TheMaxVicious". As of December 2018, he has 1 million followers on Instagram (@maxisms) and 19,500 on Twitter (@TheMaxisms). On YouTube and on social media, Emerson is known for his humor and for showing off his body.

In May 2017, French comic TV presenter Cyril Hanouna used one of Emerson's torso pictures to set up a catfishing profile on a gay dating site, and tricked the men who responded to the profile into revealing sexual fantasies to him while he was live on his show Touche pas à mon poste!. The segment triggered nearly 20,000 complaints to regulators and condemnation from LGBT groups.

1988 – Paul Iacono is an American actor. He is best known for portraying RJ Berger in the MTV scripted series The Hard Times of RJ Berger.

Iacono was born in Secaucus, New Jersey to Italian American parents. Iacono went to Professional Performing Arts School in New York with friend and Fame co-star Paul McGill. At eight years old, Iacono was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He soon began receiving chemotherapy treatments and has been in remission since he was eleven years old.

Paul first gained wide notice for his numerous appearances on TV's The Rosie O'Donnell Show after Rosie O'Donnell discovered his unique talents for impersonating Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman, at age 8.

Starting out as child actor in the NYC theater scene, Paul has appeared in over 100 theatrical productions. He has shared the stage with such greats as Mickey Rooney in The Wizard of Oz and Stephanie Mills in the original "Paper Mill Playhouse" production of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden. Iacono can be heard on the original cast recording. Other theatrical credits include Mame with Christine Ebersole, Noël Coward's Sail Away with Elaine Stritch and Marian Seldes, and John Guare's Landscape of the Body, with Lili Taylor and Sherie Rene Scott.

Paul's film career includes the MGM's remake of "Fame", "No God, No Master" with David Strathairn, and Darren Stein's teen comedy, "G.B.F."

Iacono is openly gay and a major LGBTQ activist, having publicly come out in Michael Musto's Village Voice Column in April 2012. He was named one of OUT Magazine's 100 most influential gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people for 2013.

2001 The world’s first 24-hour LGBT TV network called PrideVision TV is launched in Canada. It is now called OutTV. Owned by Headline Media Group, it was Canada’s first 24-hour cable television channel targeted at LGBT audiences. It was also the second LGBT-focused channel to be established in the world, after the Gay Cable Network in the U.S., which shut down in 2001.

[offender42085]

Post 0466

Kevin Blake Tucker, Ohio inmate A795009, born 1993, incarceration intake (this time) 2021 at age 28, scheduled for release October 2024

Vandalism, with Judical Sanction for post-prison parole violations, previously Involuntary Manslaughter

In 2015, Kevin Blake Tucker, 22, of Georgetown, Ohio, was sentenced to four years in the Ohio Department of Corrections after he accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony. With credit for time served in the Brown County Adult Detention Center, Tucker will remain locked up until June 16, 2019.

Tucker was involved in the death of 62-year-old Danny Smith on the evening of June 17, 2015 in Georgetown. According to court documents, Tucker and Georgetown resident Maribeth Denny drove to Cincinnati to purchase heroin. When they returned, Denny, Tucker, and Smith split the heroin. At approximately 7:48 p.m. that evening, the Georgetown Police Department was dispatched to Smith’s home on New Street for a potential overdose.

Georgetown EMS arrived five minutes later, according to a probable cause affidavit, but eventually ended chest compressions and called the Brown County Coroner, Dr. Judith Varnau.

It’s unclear who gave Smith the heroin, but both Tucker and Denny were arrested and jailed for their involvement. 

Tucker was indicted by the Brown County Grand Jury with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, one count of corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony, and one count of trafficking in heroin, a fifth-degree felony. As part of his plea bargain, counts two, three, and four were dismissed.

At his sentencing hearing, the Judge read out the names of 37 friends and family members who wrote letters to the court in support of Tucker. While the Judge was impressed with the outpouring of support, he said what was more important to him was Tucker’s extensive record with the Brown County Juvenile Court.

“All these letters were telling me what a great guy you were, and I was like ‘holy cow’!” the Judge said. “And then I looked at your prior record, and that told me you weren’t a good guy. You were either spoiled, you were either kowtowed to, you either thought that you were better than everyone else, and you thought you were going to do your own this. This isn’t juvenile court, son.”

The Judge also labeled Tucker as a “punk,” which Tucker agreed was a fair statement.

Tucker then went on a long, eloquent speech, explaining to the Judge and his family how he has changed since he was incarcerated.

Tucker was indicted again 2021 for Vandalism and sentenced to 11 months, plus an enhancement for parole violation of an additional 34 months for Parole Violation sanctions attributed to his DUI conviction.

2v

[nephoetisms]

trevante rhodes.     he/him.     cis man.     ›spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   semaj   houston   ,   most   likely   listening   to   humble   by   kendrick lamar  with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   thirty   year   old   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -promiscuous   yet   +kind hearted   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you’ll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about  football   jerseys,   loud,   boisterous   laughter   and   confident   smirks   ,   followed   by   tobacco   vanille   by   tom   ford   .   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   latest   semaj   being   spotted   leaving   out   the   back   entrance   of   a   gay   club   in   new   orleans   the   last   time   he   was   there   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .  

name. semaj houston. nickname(s): maj dob. january 20th, 1993 sexual orientation. pansexual romantic orientation. panromantic birthplace. new orleans, louisiana hometown. new orleans, louisiana (birth to age 11), atlanta, georgia (11 to 16), columbus, ohio (16 to 22), new orleans, louisiana (22 to 29) current location. new york, new york (29 - present) nationality. american ethnicity. african-american occupation. quarterback for the new york jets social class. upper living arrangements. penthouse on the upper east side

face claim. trevante rhodes height. 6'3" body type. muscular / athletic eye color. dark brown hair color. dark brown tattoos. none piercings. ears

positive. kindhearted, hardworking, humble, open minded, tolerant. negative. promiscuous, moody, jealous, possessive, nonchalant. personality / mannerisms inspo. hercules (disney's hercules), ambrose spellman (chilling adventures of sabrina), prince naveen (princess and the frog).

bio. a southern gentleman through and through, semaj was born in new orleans. his father was a construction worker and his mother was a nurse, so they were often busy at work for long hours of the day, leaving semaj alone to his own devices. despite them spending a lot of hours at their respective jobs, they still made time to be there for semaj and his younger siblings. they never felt neglected or unloved, even though they did wish that they could see their parents more often during the weekdays. however, their parents more than made up for it on their weekends off. from a young age, semaj had a love of sports; football in particular. while he did participate in a variety of other sports, such as soccer, track and field and basketball, football was his one true love. he was apart of various sports teams growing up, but by the time he reached his high school years, football was the only team he was apart of and dedicated all of his time to. it was the sport that came easiest to him, like second nature. he moved from new orleans to atlanta, georgia when he was eleven years old, for a career opportunity his father had been presented with. and just a few short years later, he moved from atlanta to columbus so his mother could be closer to her family after her parents passed away. family was a big thing in the houston household. his father was orphaned at a young age and spent his youth in the foster care system, so the family he built and made with semaj's mother was very important to him. so when his mother wanted to move to be close to her other family members, his father didn't hesitate to agree. his senior year of high school came, and with it he was granted a football scholarship to the university of ohio, which he accepted happily. he took on the position of the team's quarterback, and quickly became known as one of the best players on the team - along with jalen. jalen quickly became an important fixture in his life. what started out as a friendship between two guys, quickly blossomed into something else when jalen came out to semaj. semaj had always considered himself to be straight, and it was only when he met jalen that he started to realize that maybe he wasn't as straight as he thought he was. which was quite eye opening and shocking for him, but as someone who didn't have anything against the lgbtq+ community, he came to terms with it rather quickly, and a romance with jalen quickly became. however, their romance didn't last long. due to the pressures of appearing as heterosexual in the sports world, the two of them parted ways when they were both drafted into the nfl - jalen going to new york and semaj going back to his original hometown of new orleans to play for the saints. even after all these years, semaj still loves jalen. and now that he's in new york for the unforeseeable future, he plans on making his way back into jalen's life. even if it's just as a friend. personality. while he is a southern gentleman at heart, he does have a flirty and promiscuous nature that's pretty innate. he's never been a fuckboy, or one to break people's hearts, but he does have quite a long list of lovers. he can honestly say that out of the many on that list, only one or two can say that things ended badly. he can be moody at times, and that paired with his nonchalant attitude can make him come across as uncaring or like he has no empathy or sympathy for others, which couldn't be further from the truth. semaj is a kindhearted person, but he can get in his own head sometimes and his mood sours.

connections. frenemies. they only get along when it's beneficial to the both of them. party friend(s). one thing about semaj is, he loves a good club and a good night of club hopping. your muse usually goes along for the ride. celeb friend(s). always seen out together, whether that be at events, clubs, restaurants, etc. everyone knows they're close friends and they oftentimes mention each other in interviews. best friend. the one person that knows everything about semaj and vice versa. friends to the very end. the only person semaj ever told about the relationship he had with jalen. usual hookup(s). the people that semaj usually hits up for a booty call. they both understand that it's just sex, and they like it that way. semaj usually makes breakfast for them the morning after, just to be a good host. shipped. this is someone that semaj has been linked with romantically by the press. they're not dating, but they did go on one date after being setup by mutual friends, but it went absolutely nowhere. they have no idea how their one date was leaked to the public, but now everyone thinks they're the next big couple. bonus points if their management/pr teams encourage it. etc. open to anything else!

[itsblckebitch]

"All alone did it on my own, so I show no mercy, show no mercy."

Hey yall, this is my bby Blake Marie below is some info on her!

Full name: Blake Penelope Marie.

Birthday: July 23, 1993 (29 yrs old)

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Currently Resides: Orlando, FL

Occupation: AEW -- Seamstress. She's worked here since the beginning.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Children: Evie Kay Khan. 3 yrs old. Father: @elitepresidentkhan 3 yrs ago, Blake gave birth to a precious little girl, Tony was skeptical of Evie being his while Blake was pregnant, this caused Blake to be very angry and resentful towards TK and the two didn't speak again until Blake went into labor, it was then that TK realized Evie was in fact his daughter as she looked exactly like him. However -- to protect Evie and protect her own image, Blake keeps the fact that TK is Evie's father a secret from everyone in her life besides her close family. Blake has always been afraid of what people would think if they realized she had slept with her boss and got pregnant on top of it all. She's also been very afraid that people would treat her or her daughter differently if they realized Evie's dad was TK so because of this and because she enjoys her privacy and the privacy she gets with TK -- she's kept it a secret for the past 3 yrs. However it becomes increasingly harder as the years go on to keep it a secret, especially now that Evie talks and has a personality of her own. (this was discussed w/ the TK and it was all approved with that specific writer.)

Blake Marie was born July 23, 1993 to her parents Victoria and Ted Marie in Cleveland, Ohio. She had a very normal childhood, her mother was a stay at home mom and her father worked as a lawyer for a living taking care of the two. When she was 11 years old, her mother left abruptly one day. Not even bothering to say goodbye to her daughter and Blake has never spoken to her mother since. She holds a lot of resentment and anger towards her. As a result of this, Blake is a very protective person of her daughter and she doesn't let just anyone come into her life and interact with her. Blake has a few close friends that she feels she can trust in the wrestling business -- Britt Baker and Blair being two of them.

All plots for Blake are open, shipping is chemistry based, but I'd love to get some plots going for her! Exes, baby daddy, enemies, etc. So please like this if you'd like me to come into your dms and plot w/ you!

[novumtimes]

Who is Laura Loomer? The far-right extremist on Trumps trail | World News

The presence of far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer alongside Donald Trump on his recent campaign trail has sparked controversy among Republicans and media alike. Known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and inflammatory conspiracy theories, Loomer, a former congressional candidate, has been a polarising figure for years. Loomer first drew attention when she joined Trump at an event commemorating the 9/11 attacks, leading to concerns about her influence on the former president. Loomer has spread the baseless theory that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” orchestrated by the US government. Adding fuel to the fire, she also travelled with Trump on his plane to the presidential debate in Philadelphia, according to a report by BBC.  A particularly controversial moment came during the debate when Trump repeated a baseless claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating pets in a small Ohio town. This theory, which was aired by Loomer just the day before, was debunked by local officials, but its repetition by Trump on such a large stage raised concerns. Some within the Republican Party were quick to point fingers at Loomer, accusing her of being behind Trump’s endorsement of this falsehood. Loomer’s influence on Trump has alarmed some of his allies. Speaking to NBC News, one Trump ally expressed concern, saying they were “100%” worried about Loomer’s proximity to the former president, adding that the campaign’s efforts to manage her influence were “not working.” Several senior Republicans have publicly criticised Loomer’s presence in Trump’s orbit. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis took to social media, calling Loomer a “crazy conspiracy theorist” and warning that her divisive rhetoric is detrimental to Trump’s chances in the 2024 election. He further commented, “A DNC [Democratic National Committee] plant couldn’t do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump’s chances.” Despite these concerns, Trump has remained vague about his relationship with Loomer. At a press conference in California, Trump described her as “a supporter,” adding, “I don’t control Laura. Laura has to say what she wants. She’s a free spirit.” Who is Laura Loomer? Born in Arizona in 1993, Loomer has long been a provocateur in right-wing circles. She has worked for organisations such as Project Veritas and Infowars and gained notoriety for her failed congressional bids in Florida, where she ran as a Trump-endorsed candidate in 2020 and again in 2022. Her outspoken support of Trump and her willingness to promote debunked and inflammatory conspiracy theories have earned her a sizable following on social media, although she has been banned from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and even ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. Her influence in Trump’s campaign has become a point of contention among his allies, with some fearing that her controversial presence could cost him votes in key battleground states such as Georgia and North Carolina, where large Indian American and Hindu populations reside. Loomer recently posted a racist tweet about Vice President Kamala Harris, which drew condemnation from both Democrats and Republicans alike. The American Hindu Coalition, a non-partisan advocacy group, expressed its disappointment with Loomer’s rhetoric, cautioning that her divisive statements could harm Trump’s chances in the 2024 election. Loomer, however, has been unapologetic, dismissing critics on social media as “obsessive” and claiming to work independently to support Trump, whom she calls “our nation’s last hope.” Despite mounting concerns, Trump has distanced himself from Loomer. During his press tour, he addressed the issue, saying, “I don’t know that much about it,” when asked about Loomer’s conspiracy theories. With Trump already facing scrutiny over his campaign strategy, many Republican insiders are concerned that his association with Loomer may alienate critical voter bases in states where every percentage point will count. Source link via The Novum Times

[ahopkins1965]

What is the Difference between Grace Vs Mercy?

 

        This is a comparison and contrast essay that is based on the definition of two words.  The first word is grace and the second is mercy.  The definition of the word grace is good will or favor.  When it comes to grace, the Lord always shows us good will and favor when it comes to all of us.  Whereas, the definition of the word mercy is refraining from harming others.  It also means showing kind or compassionate treatment.  It also means the power to forgive.



        When it comes to the Lord God; He always shows everyone compassion and understanding towards us.  I remember when I was a high school student, I became truant and missed over half of the 1981-82 school year.

       The reason why I became truant was because I was involved in street gangs and I also smoked marijuana.  During that time, I had to appear in court for not attending school.  The Juvenile Court Judge stated to me in my face that anytime a person does not go to school, they are considered as crazy!



        Moreover, I want to inform everyone that I managed to change my ways by attending Job Corps in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The Juvenile Court Judge gave me a second chance.  I will admit that I was a B+ to C average student in school.  I exceeded my expectations by graduating from the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio in 1993 and 1995 respectively.  It was not very easy, however, I did very well.       I want everyone to know that in spite of my pass mistakes,     God had never left me nor forsaken me.

       

Definition of God's Grace – How do theologians define it? "What is grace? In the New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to descend into hell on the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. ‘(God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him’"



He was there every step of the way.  I will admit to making a lot of mistakes in high school from 1979 to 1983.  Therefore, I graduated from high school at the age of 20 years old.  I was one of the oldest high school students to receive a high school diploma at the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio.  My graduation class had over 300 students. 

        In Addition, I want to inform everyone that I am a 53 year old man who have a lot of common sense.  I am a person who has learned from all of my mistakes.  I want to be honest with everyone that God has shown me both grace and mercy during my 53 years of existence.

         I also want to give credit to Judge McCullough for giving me a second chance at life.  I want to thank her for being lenient but firm on me.  I have admitted guilt for the crimes that I have committed in the past.  I want to also thank countless of others for seeing the potential in me.  I want to thank everyone in the Charlotte, NC and Toledo, OH for helping me to shine when I need to.

        Further, I want to thank everyone at the University of Toledo for allowing me to enroll in college; in spite of my bad grades in high school.  I also want to thank everyone at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for allowing me to work at the J Murray Atkins Library for 8 straight years.  I want to thank everyone that God have placed in my life because they have seen great potential in me.  It is God that is doing for me more than I am doing for myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Finally, I want to say that grace and mercy goes hand in hand with me personally.  I thank Jesus Christ for being the Lord in my life right now.  I will admit that I have been baptized 9 times within the past 20 years.  I had dedicated my life to Jesus Christ on February 15, 2015.  I am very happy to be born again.  I owe it to my personal Savior Jesus Christ and many others for helping me along in my journey to success.  I want to say that Grace and Mercy is very serious when it comes to God.  I always take my life serious when it comes to God’s grace and mercy.

 

        In Conclusion, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for forgiving me for all of my sins.  I want to thank my mother, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles for being involved in my life as a role model.  I also want to thank all of my family members for bearing with me for all of these years.  I had put all of my family members through a whole lot of mess.  I also want to thank myself for learning how to forgive myself for all of my personal wrongs in my life.  Grace is the good will and favor that God has shown me in my life.  The mercy is the total forgiveness of all of my sins.  I am happy to be a member of the Lambs Book of Life.  Thank you for reading my essay.

[pritishsblog]

BEST DIRECTORS IN CINEMA

Hi everyone! This blog is going to be a bit different than my other ones as I'm going to start a Series of who I think are Best Directors Cinema has ever seen

And today I will be talking about the

STEVEN SPIELBERG

Steven Spielberg (born December 18, 1946, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) is an American motion-picture director and producer whose diverse films—which ranged from science-fiction fare, including such classics as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), to historical dramas, notably Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998)—enjoyed both unprecedented popularity and critical success.

(Early Life)

Spielberg developed an interest in filmmaking as a child, and during his teens his Escape to Nowhere (1962), a 40-minute war movie, won first prize at a film festival. He next directed Firelight (1964), a feature-length science-fiction yarn, which was followed by an accomplished short about hitchhikers called Amblin’ (1968). An executive at Universal Studios saw the latter film and tendered a contract to Spielberg, who began working in the studio’s television division after attending California State College, Long Beach (now California State University, from which he would eventually receive a B.A. in 2002). He directed episodes of various TV series, notably Columbo, Marcus Welby, M.D., and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law. In 1971 he made his first television movie, Duel, a taut, almost claustrophobic exercise in psychosis that was more intense than typical TV fare (it was released theatrically in Europe). Although Spielberg permitted star Dennis Weaver—who played a motorist chased by a homicidal truck driver—to register a one-note impression of sweaty terror throughout the movie, his handling of the action sequences was staged and executed with bravado. The success of Duel enabled Spielberg to make theatrically released motion pictures, beginning with The Sugarland Express (1974), a chase picture with deft accents of comedy but an inexorable movement toward tragedy; it was anchored by Goldie Hawn’s performance.

(His Famous Works)

Spielberg’s next movie, Jaws (1975), established him as a leading director, and it was one of the highest-grossing films ever. It featured Roy Scheider as the police chief of a resort town who battles a man-eating white shark. Joining him are Richard Dreyfuss as a marine biologist and Robert Shaw as a shark hunter. The highly praised thriller received an Academy Award nomination for best picture, and its ominous soundtrack by John Williams won an Oscar. The film all but created the genre of summer blockbuster big action-packed movie released to an audience grateful to be in an air-conditioned theatre and it established many of the touchstones of Spielberg’s work: an ordinary but sympathetic main character is enlightened through a confrontation with some extraordinary being or force that gradually reveals itself as the narrative unfolds.Spielberg’s next film was even more successful. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was a moving exploration of an alien encounter that cleverly eschewed the epic scale of Close Encounters for the microcosm of its effect on a single California family. Henry Thomas gave a strong performance as the boy who discovers and befriends the stranded alien, and Dee Wallace portrayed his sympathetic mom. The film also featured Drew Barrymore in one of her first roles. As with most Spielberg films to that point, the special effects were a large part of the movie’s appeal in this case, the wonderfully articulated E.T. but it was Spielberg’s mastery of human (and alien) emotion that made the movie a blockbuster. Both Spielberg and the film were nominated for Academy Awards, as were Melissa Mathison’s screenplay, Allen Daviau’s cinematography, and Williams’s score; only the latter won.

(Filmmaking Style & Inspiration)

His Filmmaking Style

Spielberg often uses storyboards to visualize the sequences, with the exceptions being in E.T. and The Color Purple. After the experience of filming Jaws, Spielberg learned to leave special effect scenes until last, and exclude the media from filming locations. Spielberg prefers to shoot quickly, with large amounts of coverage (from single-shot to multi-shot setups), so that he will have many options in the editing room. From the beginning of his career, Spielberg's shooting style consisted of extreme high and low camera angles, long takes, and handheld cameras. He favors wide-angle lens for creating depth, and by the time he was making Minority Report, he was more confident with elaborate camera movements.

His Inspiration

Spielberg has cited Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life (1946) as an influence on "family, community and suburbia". He enjoyed the work of Alfred Hitchcock,David Lean, John Ford, Stanley Kubrick and John Frankenheimer. In college, he was inspired by foreign films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Jacques Tati and François Truffaut. Truffaut was one of his favorite directors. Spencer Tracy has also influenced the characters of Spielberg's films, as did The Twilight Zone series.

(His Filmography)

Spielberg has directed over 36 featured films and has also co-produced many of his works. He has worked with many famous actors including Drew Barrymore,Leonardo DiCaprio,Harrison Ford,Tom Hanks and many more

He made 3 movies in the span of 4 years from 1971-1975 which included Duel (1971), The Sugarland Express (1974) and Jaws (1975). He also made movies like Close Encounters with the 3rd Kind (1977), 1941 (1979),Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981),E.T. (1982),Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom (1984),The Color Purple (1985),The Empire of the Sun (1987), Indiana Jones Last Crusade (1989) and Hook (1991).

In 1993, he made some of the most influential movies such as Jurrasic Park and Schindler's List. He made the sequel of Jurrasic Park with Amistad in 1997. Went on to make Saving Private Ryan with Tom Hanks in 1998.

After the turn of the century, He went on to make movies such as AI (2001),Catch me If You Can with Tom Hanks and Leornado Di Caprio (2002). He made movies like The Terminal (2004) and The 3rd part of the Indiana Jones Series named Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Since then he has made movies like Adventures of Tintin and Warhorse (2011),Lincoln (2012),Bridge of Spies (2015),The BFG (2016),The Post (2017),Ready Player One (2018),West Side Story (2021) and Fabelmans (2022)

Spielberg receiving a public service award by US Defense Secretary in 1999

(Awards & Honors)

In during his 20 year old career, Spielberg's films have earned more than 338 nominations including the Academy Awards,The BAFTA's and the Golden Globe Awards.

His films has won 35 Academy Awards out of the 147 Nominations, 22 BAFTA's out of 116 Nominations and 16 Golden Globe Awards out of 75 Nominations.

Spielberg’s shoe and handprints in front of the Gruman's Chinese Theatre

Wax Statue of Steven Spielberg at Madame Tussauds, London

(Legacy)

A figure of the New Hollywood era, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the most influential and commercially successful film directors of all time. Some of his films were in the top ten highest-grossing films of the 1970s and 1980s, with Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park all becoming the highest-grossing film ever at the time of their respective releases. In 1996, Life magazine named Spielberg the most influential person of his generation. In 2003, Premiere magazine ranked him first place in the list of 100 Most Powerful People in Movies. In 2005, Empire magazine ranked him number one on a list of the greatest film directors of all time. In 2013, Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people. According to Forbes' magazine of Most Influential Celebrities of 2014, Spielberg was ranked at first place. As of December 2022, Forbes estimates his net worth at $4 billion.

Steven Spielberg's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

(Sources)

And that's it for this part folks, I'll meet you with another blog about some the Greatest Directors Cinema has ever seen. Until then

CIAO

[meldoesphoto]

Photographer Research: Catherine Opie

Catherine Opie was born in Sandusky, Ohio in 1961 and is currently 63 years old. At a young age, Opie was inspired by photographer Lewis Hine, and more specifically the way he documented child labor in the 20th century. Opie began photographing her family and neighborhood in the beginning, and later went on to receive a BFA and an MFA respectively. I first heard of Catherine Opie through my content and form class. Her photographs were featured in the required textbook for the class (Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art by Kristen Stiles, Univ of California Press, Sep 25, 2012) and I found her work to be incredibly fascinating. Her work focuses more on photographing the LGBTQ+ community and about the gender roles. Her piece, Self Portrait (1993) was the piece that introduced me to her. The image depicts two women holding hands while a sun and a house are in the background. The medium itself is harsh, as shown by the blood in the image, (it was carved into Opie's back by her friend Judie Bamber) but its message is incredibly impactful and it really resonated with me. The piece itself a commentary on nuclear families and with the harsh medium, it shows how ingrained the nuclear family dynamic is in our society. By depicting the two women in a nuclear family, it shows how being lesbian is not only ok, but it is also beautiful, which is what Opie was going for. Her whole work revolves around being proud of your identity. Positive queer representation is incredibly important to me, and seeing how Opie photographs the community, shows its vulnerability, its beauty, helps not only inspire me, but also other people within the community and out who can witness such work.

References

Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art by Kristen Stiles, Univ of California Press, Sep 25, 2012

[lboogie1906]

Joshua Isaac Smith was (born April 8, 1941) in Garrard County, Kentucky. Growing up in Loveland, Ohio. He earned a BS from Central State University. He worked as a high school biology teacher in DC and taught Biology and Chemistry at the University of Akron, where he studied law. He became a manager at the New York division of Plenum Publishing Corporation. He served as an executive director of the American Society for Information Science. He attended management courses at the University of Delaware and Central Michigan University. He founded the computer firm Maxima Corp in 1978. By 1993 the company had revenues over $41 million and had been ranked by Black Enterprise magazine at #33 in its list of minority businesses. In 1996 the company had expanded to operate in 14 US states, employing 800 members of staff. He serves as a trustee on several boards and has been a strong advocate for African American entrepreneurship. He became the “leading spokesman for African American businessmen under the Reagan and Bush [George H] administrations”. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to be the chair of the Commission on Minority Business Development.

He was appointed chairperson of the State of Maryland’s Task Force on Minority Business Reform, advancing to serve as an advisor to the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Minority Business Reform. He serves as chairman and managing partner of the Coaching Group. Other directorships include CardioComm Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Federal Express Corporation, and The Allstate Corporation. He has been a director of Caterpillar since 1993. In 2008, he launched a weekly radio show Biz Talk with Josh Smith, which ran on CBS Radio.

He was named an outstanding alumnus by the Loveland Schools Foundation. He donated $1 million to his alma mater Central State University. The university renamed one of its buildings to Joshua I. Smith Center for Education and Natural Sciences to honor him. He received the Thurgood Marshall College Fund HBCU Alumnus of the Year award at the 26th TMCF Awards Gala.

He married Reverend Jacqueline Jones-Smith (1979). #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphaphialpha

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

STEVEN SPIELBERG

STEVEN SPIELBERG

1946

            Steven Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. When his parents broke up, he moved with his father to California. He became interested in film from a young age and started making films with his father’s movie camera, by the age of 21 he was a television director for Universal.

            Spielberg’s first film wasDuel (1971) and first success was Jaws (1975). He went on to make successful films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and E.T. (1982). He then went on to make Gremlins, Back to the Future, The Color Purple (1985), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1994) and Munich (2006). He co-founded Dreamworks in 1994.

            Spielberg’s family are Jewish, his father lost around 20 family members during the Holocaust. He used profits to fund the Shoah Foundation, which records testimony of Holocaust survivors. After the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel by Islamic terrorist group Hamas, he collected 100 video testimonies to add to his collection. ‘I never imagined I would see such unspeakable barbarity against Jews in my lifetime’.

            He met actress Amy Irving in 1976 when she auditioned for Close Encounters and began dating and married in 1985 and divorced in 1989. He met Kate Capshaw when he cast her in Temple of Doom and married in 1991; she converted to Judaism before they married (she was Protestant). Spielberg has five children.

Spielberg is a victim of stalking, in 1997, Jonathan Norman stalked him and attempted to break into his home, Norman was imprisoned for 25 years. In 2001 he was stalked by Diana Napolis who accused him (and Jennifer Love Hewitt) of installing a mind-control device inside her brain - she was placed into a mental institution.

#stevenspielberg

[bobmccullochny]

History

October 8, 1871 - The Great Fire of Chicago erupted. According to legend, it started when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern in her barn on DeKoven Street. Over 300 persons were killed and 90,000 were left homeless as the fire leveled 3.5 square miles, destroying 17,450 buildings. Financial losses totaled over $200 million.

October 8, 1918 - During World War I in the Argonne Forest in France, U.S. Sergeant Alvin C. York single-handedly took out a German machine-gun battalion, killing over a dozen and capturing 132. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre.

October 8, 1993 - The U.N. General Assembly lifted economic sanctions against South Africa following the end of racial apartheid. The sanctions had been imposed since the 1960s.

October 8, 1996 - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat made his first public visit to Israel for talks with Israeli President Ezer Weizman at his private residence.

October 8, 1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted 258-176 to approve a resolution launching an impeachment inquiry of President Bill Clinton. It was only the third time in U.S. history the House launched a formal impeachment inquiry of a sitting president. (The other two: Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon).

Birthday - American fighter pilot Ace Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973) was born in Columbus, Ohio. He commanded the first U.S. aero unit to take part in World War I and was credited with 26 victories, becoming America's leading Ace. He was awarded the Medal of Honor. He later got involved in auto racing and headed Eastern Air Lines from 1934-63.

[a-bonb]

The Bridge Between MS13 and Mexican Mafia in Tijuana, Mexico

Die Brücke zwischen MS13 und der mexikanischen Mafia in Tijuana, Mexiko

One afternoon in 1993, Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, better known as "Mula" within the MS13, took his knife, stabbed a taxi driver, and kicked his face repeatedly.

Just 22 years old and utterly reckless, he had assaulted the driver while intoxicated. After being arrested by Nevada police, he identified himself as a soldier with the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13). Nobody there had heard of the gang.

Neither jail nor time cured Flores of his violent ways. Two years later, he was arrested in Nevada for participating in a drive-by shooting targeting rival gang members. He spent five years in prison and was deported back to El Salvador upon release.

Eines Nachmittags im Jahr 1993 nahm Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, in der MS13 besser bekannt als „Mula“, sein Messer, stach auf einen Taxifahrer ein und trat ihm wiederholt ins Gesicht.

Er war erst 22 Jahre alt und völlig rücksichtslos und hatte den Fahrer im betrunkenen Zustand angegriffen. Nach seiner Festnahme durch die Polizei von Nevada identifizierte er sich als Soldat der Mara Salvatrucha (MS13). Niemand dort hatte von der Bande gehört.

Weder Gefängnis noch Zeit konnten Flores von seinem gewalttätigen Verhalten heilen. Zwei Jahre später wurde er in Nevada verhaftet, weil er an einer Schießerei aus einem vorbeifahrenden Auto auf rivalisierende Bandenmitglieder teilgenommen hatte. Er verbrachte fünf Jahre im Gefängnis und wurde nach seiner Freilassung zurück nach El Salvador abgeschoben.

This was a homecoming of sorts for Flores. He was born in El Salvador's western department of Santa Ana on June 26, 1971, a few years before the country's civil war (1979-1992) began. The conflict marked Flores for life: Two of his sisters were killed during a guerrilla attack on a bus, while his mother was killed after being caught in the crossfire, he would later tell an Ohio court.

During his childhood, he helped his father in the fields after attending school, until the war forced him to flee to Reno, Nevada in 1987. In Reno, he lived with his brother and began forging a reputation for violence before joining the Park View Locos clique of the MS13 in Los Angeles in the early 1990s

Dies war eine Art Heimkehr für Flores. Er wurde am 26. Juni 1971, wenige Jahre vor Beginn des Bürgerkriegs im Land (1979–1992), im westlichen Departement Santa Ana in El Salvador geboren. Der Konflikt prägte Flores ein Leben lang: Zwei seiner Schwestern wurden bei einem Guerillaangriff auf einen Bus getötet, während seine Mutter getötet wurde, nachdem sie ins Kreuzfeuer geraten war, erzählte er später einem Gericht in Ohio.

In seiner Kindheit half er seinem Vater nach dem Schulbesuch auf den Feldern, bis ihn der Krieg 1987 zur Flucht nach Reno, Nevada, zwang. In Reno lebte er mit seinem Bruder zusammen und begann sich einen Ruf als gewalttätiger Mann zu erarbeiten, bevor er sich den Park View Locos anschloss Clique der MS13 in Los Angeles Anfang der 1990er Jahre

After serving his sentence in Nevada and being repatriated, Flores returned to the United States through Tijuana. Because it is so close to Los Angeles, the Mexican border city had become a destination for many gang members seeking to return to the United States after being deported.

Nachdem er seine Haftstrafe in Nevada verbüßt ​​hatte und zurückgeführt wurde, kehrte Flores über Tijuana in die Vereinigten Staaten zurück. Aufgrund ihrer Nähe zu Los Angeles war die mexikanische Grenzstadt zum Ziel vieler Bandenmitglieder geworden, die nach ihrer Abschiebung in die USA zurückkehren wollten.

But Flores settled in Columbus, Ohio. There he started creating a new MS13 clique, the first in the entire state. It was the early 2000s.

"There was no clique," said "Checa," a former gang member, or homeboy, as they like to call themselves. "There were only three of us ... and I actually went to find one of the old-timers. They called him 'Mula.'"

Aber Flores ließ sich in Columbus, Ohio, nieder. Dort begann er, eine neue MS13-Clique zu gründen, die erste im gesamten Bundesstaat. Es war Anfang der 2000er Jahre.

„Es gab keine Clique“, sagte „Checa“, ein ehemaliges Gangmitglied oder „Homeboy“, wie sie sich gerne nennen. „Wir waren nur zu dritt … und ich habe tatsächlich einen der Oldtimer gesucht. Sie nannten ihn ‚Mula‘.“

Checa had gang experience on the streets of El Salvador, and Flores had spent some years in Nevada's prison system, so the two men had the chops to create their own clique, which they named the Columbus Criminals Locos after their adopted city. The MS13's expansion into Ohio broadened the gang's presence in the United States and, consequently, the range of crimes they committed. Part of their profits was sent to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Like many gang members, Flores had a double life. He had a day job, often using fake documents to obscure his past. And he kept to himself. He was a "polite, respectful, and punctual employee," according to a former contractor interviewed by The Los Angeles Times.

Checa hatte Bandenerfahrung auf den Straßen von El Salvador und Flores hatte einige Jahre im Gefängnissystem von Nevada verbracht, sodass die beiden Männer das Zeug dazu hatten, eine eigene Clique zu gründen, die sie nach ihrer Wahlheimat „Columbus Criminals Locos“ nannten. Die Expansion der MS13 nach Ohio erweiterte die Präsenz der Bande in den Vereinigten Staaten und damit auch das Spektrum der von ihnen begangenen Verbrechen. Ein Teil ihrer Gewinne wurde nach El Salvador, Honduras und Guatemala geschickt.

Wie viele Gangmitglieder führte Flores ein Doppelleben. Er hatte einen Tagesjob und benutzte oft gefälschte Dokumente, um seine Vergangenheit zu verschleiern. Und er blieb für sich. Laut einem ehemaligen Auftragnehmer, den die Los Angeles Times interviewte, war er ein „höflicher, respektvoller und pünktlicher Mitarbeiter“.

However, Flores' facade fell apart on December 23, 2004, when the Columbus police arrested him for a minor traffic accident. During the investigation, officers discovered his true identity, and he was handed over to immigration authorities who charged him with illegal re-entry. He was sentenced to 71 months in prison and sent to Englewood prison in Colorado before being transferred to Big Sandy in Kentucky.

Mula was behind bars again, but his criminal career was about to take off. 

Flores‘ Fassade brach jedoch am 23. Dezember 2004 zusammen, als die Polizei von Columbus ihn wegen eines leichten Verkehrsunfalls festnahm. Während der Ermittlungen entdeckten die Beamten seine wahre Identität und er wurde den Einwanderungsbehörden übergeben, die ihn wegen illegaler Wiedereinreise anklagten. Er wurde zu 71 Monaten Gefängnis verurteilt und in das Englewood-Gefängnis in Colorado gebracht, bevor er nach Big Sandy in Kentucky verlegt wurde.

Mula saß erneut hinter Gittern, doch seine kriminelle Karriere stand kurz vor dem Aufschwung.

The Rise of 'Mula'

At Big Sandy, Flores met José Landa Rodríguez, alias "Fox," a respected gang-banger who'd become a member of the Mexican Mafia, or eMe, in jail. Known as carnales, or soul-brothers, there are but a handful of eMe. Inside some federal and state prisons, they wield tremendous influence over other gang members.

Der Aufstieg von „Mula“

In Big Sandy traf Flores José Landa Rodríguez, alias „Fox“, einen angesehenen Gangster, der im Gefängnis Mitglied der mexikanischen Mafia (eMe) geworden war. Es gibt nur eine Handvoll eMe, die als „Carnales“ oder „Seelenbrüder“ bekannt sind. In einigen Bundes- und Landesgefängnissen üben sie enormen Einfluss auf andere Bandenmitglieder aus.

The eMe got its start in California, where, inside the state prison system, they created a confederation of Latino gangs. This was to ensure these gangs did not attack each other inside the penitentiary system, even if they were enemies on the outside. The non-aggression pact took on a name, Sur, or South, and its members became known as sureños, a reference to their roots in southern California. It eventually grew to include tens of thousands of members across the United States. At the top, of course, was the Mexican Mafia, whose members were often referred to as Los Señores and used the gangs for their own criminal ends.

Die eMe hatten ihren Ursprung in Kalifornien, wo sie innerhalb des staatlichen Gefängnissystems eine Konföderation von Latino-Banden gründeten. Damit sollte sichergestellt werden, dass sich diese Banden innerhalb des Strafvollzugssystems nicht gegenseitig angreifen, selbst wenn sie von außen verfeindet sind. Der Nichtangriffspakt erhielt den Namen Sur oder Süden, und seine Mitglieder wurden als Sureños bekannt, eine Anspielung auf ihre Wurzeln in Südkalifornien. Schließlich wuchs die Gruppe auf Zehntausende Mitglieder in den gesamten Vereinigten Staaten an. An der Spitze stand natürlich die mexikanische Mafia, deren Mitglieder oft als „Los Señores“ bezeichnet wurden und die Banden für ihre eigenen kriminellen Zwecke nutzten.

Rodríguez, for example, had an entourage of sureños who obeyed him at will outside the prison. In addition, the eMe leader, who hailed from the Mexican state of Michoacán, had ties to prominent Mexican drug traffickers. As a young man in the early 1990s, he was connected with the Montes family, the main drug trafficking contact in California for Mexican criminal groups like the Familia Michoacana and the Knights Templar.

In 2011, the Montes family put Rodríguez in charge of trafficking methamphetamine and marijuana from Michoacán to the United States. This created a longstanding partnership between the eMe and Knights Templar.

Rodríguez zum Beispiel hatte ein Gefolge von Sureños, die ihm außerhalb des Gefängnisses nach Belieben gehorchten. Darüber hinaus hatte der eMe-Anführer, der aus dem mexikanischen Bundesstaat Michoacán stammte, Verbindungen zu prominenten mexikanischen Drogenhändlern. Als junger Mann war er Anfang der 1990er Jahre mit der Familie Montes verbunden, dem Hauptkontakt im Drogenhandel in Kalifornien für mexikanische kriminelle Gruppen wie die Familia Michoacana und die Tempelritter.

Im Jahr 2011 beauftragte die Familie Montes Rodríguez mit dem Handel mit Methamphetamin und Marihuana von Michoacán in die Vereinigten Staaten. Dadurch entstand eine langjährige Partnerschaft zwischen der eMe und den Tempelrittern.

While in prison, Flores and Rodríguez quickly formed a deep bond. Flores convinced Rodríguez that the MS13 didn't sell out its people or surrender. It wasn't long before Flores won over Rodríguez, and he soon became a spokesperson for the eMe. He'd make calls to members in other prisons and speak with contacts on the outside in conversations that involved more than just drug deals.

Flores' notoriety had been growing among MS13 members in Columbus due to his bravery and leadership, but he hadn't quite caught the gang's attention across the United States. His arrest was a turning point. Once inside the prison system, he gained relevance, power, and fame.

Im Gefängnis entwickelten Flores und Rodríguez schnell eine tiefe Bindung. Flores überzeugte Rodríguez, dass die MS13 ihre Leute nicht verkaufte oder kapitulierte. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis Flores Rodríguez gewann und er wurde bald Sprecher der eMe. Er telefonierte mit Mitgliedern in anderen Gefängnissen und sprach mit Kontakten von außen über Gespräche, bei denen es um mehr als nur Drogengeschäfte ging.

Aufgrund seines Mutes und seiner Führungsqualitäten war Flores unter den MS13-Mitgliedern in Columbus immer bekannter geworden, aber er hatte die Aufmerksamkeit der Bande in den gesamten Vereinigten Staaten nicht ganz auf sich gezogen. Seine Verhaftung war ein Wendepunkt. Sobald er im Gefängnissystem war, erlangte er Bedeutung, Macht und Ruhm.

Eventually, his name started to resonate in Big Sandy and across the country. His fellow MS13 members knew he was also working as a soldier for the eMe and that his contacts with other criminal networks were becoming more frequent. His bond with Rodríguez was such that he even became a prospective carnal.

Before Flores was released, Rodríguez saw how their new relationship could help the eMe on the streets. He entrusted Flores to manage the eMe's drug trafficking operations in the United States. At some point, the two decided Flores should settle down in Tijuana. They'd meet again in Mexico as soon as Rodríguez was released, they agreed.

'Mula' in Tijuana

Schließlich fand sein Name in Big Sandy und im ganzen Land Anklang. Seine MS13-Kollegen wussten, dass er auch als Soldat für die eMe arbeitete und dass seine Kontakte zu anderen kriminellen Netzwerken immer häufiger wurden. Seine Bindung zu Rodríguez war so groß, dass er sogar ein potenzieller Fleischesbruder wurde.

Bevor Flores freigelassen wurde, erkannte Rodríguez, wie ihre neue Beziehung den eMe auf der Straße helfen könnte. Er beauftragte Flores mit der Leitung der Drogenhandelsoperationen der eMe in den Vereinigten Staaten. Irgendwann beschlossen die beiden, dass Flores sich in Tijuana niederlassen sollte. Sie waren sich einig, dass sie sich in Mexiko wiedersehen würden, sobald Rodríguez freigelassen würde.

„Mula“ in Tijuana

After completing his sentence at Big Sandy in January 2011, Flores was deported to El Salvador, according to a confidential intelligence document from El Salvador's National Civil Police (Policía Nacional Civil - PNC). This document was obtained by DDoSecrets, an organization that received leaked documents from a hacking group called Guacamaya.

With Rodríguez's support and his future set in Tijuana, Flores didn't stay in El Salvador for long. He left soon after arriving with the help of an eMe secretary in southern California, who assisted him during the almost three-week trip north.

Tijuana was the perfect base for Flores. The border city is home to drug traffickers, smugglers, fugitives, human traffickers, and many others engaged in criminal activity. Some call it "the city of sin," so it was easy for Flores to blend in.

Nach Verbüßung seiner Haftstrafe im Big Sandy im Januar 2011 wurde Flores nach einem vertraulichen Geheimdienstdokument der Nationalen Zivilpolizei El Salvadors (Policía Nacional Civil – PNC) nach El Salvador abgeschoben. Dieses Dokument wurde von DDoSecrets erhalten, einer Organisation, die geleakte Dokumente von einer Hackergruppe namens Guacamaya erhalten hat.

Mit der Unterstützung von Rodríguez und seiner Zukunft in Tijuana blieb Flores nicht lange in El Salvador. Er reiste kurz nach seiner Ankunft mit Hilfe einer eMe-Sekretärin in Südkalifornien ab, die ihn während der fast dreiwöchigen Reise nach Norden unterstützte.

Tijuana war der perfekte Ausgangspunkt für Flores. In der Grenzstadt leben Drogenhändler, Schmuggler, Flüchtlinge, Menschenhändler und viele andere, die an kriminellen Aktivitäten beteiligt sind. Manche nennen sie „die Stadt der Sünde“, daher war es für Flores leicht, sich unter die Stadt zu mischen.

What's more, it was a regular respite for his gang. MS13 members have passed through Tijuana since the gang first formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. Back then, Central American gang members would even pose as Mexicans, so US immigration authorities would deport them to Tijuana by mistake.

"They're not all from the MS13, but from any gang," said Ángel Salvador, alias "Zancudo," one of the first Mexicans to be accepted into the MS13.

Tijuana became a neutral spot where various gang members could coexist. In a way, it felt like an extension of the eMe's Sur philosophy that had spread through California's prison system. The border city also served the eMe's drug trafficking interests. A portion of drug shipments traveling through Mexico crosses the border in Tijuana to reach US consumers. But for that to happen, traffickers need intermediaries that can maneuver the legal and illegal border crossings.

Darüber hinaus war es eine regelmäßige Atempause für seine Bande. Seit der Gründung der Bande Mitte der 1980er Jahre in Los Angeles sind MS13-Mitglieder durch Tijuana gereist. Damals gaben sich mittelamerikanische Bandenmitglieder sogar als Mexikaner aus, weshalb die US-Einwanderungsbehörden sie versehentlich nach Tijuana abschoben.

„Sie sind nicht alle von der MS13, sondern von irgendeiner Bande“, sagte Ángel Salvador, alias „Zancudo“, einer der ersten Mexikaner, die in die MS13 aufgenommen wurden.

Tijuana wurde zu einem neutralen Ort, an dem verschiedene Gangmitglieder zusammenleben konnten. In gewisser Weise fühlte es sich wie eine Erweiterung der Sur-Philosophie der eMe an, die sich im kalifornischen Gefängnissystem verbreitet hatte. Die Grenzstadt diente auch den Drogenhandelsinteressen der eMe. Ein Teil der Medikamentenlieferungen, die durch Mexiko reisen, überquert die Grenze in Tijuana, um US-Verbraucher zu erreichen. Doch damit das gelingt, brauchen die Menschenhändler Vermittler, die die legalen und illegalen Grenzübertritte manövrieren können.

The eMe was effective in that role, but unlike in the United States, it didn't control any territory. Its members transferred drugs across the border or worked as hired gunmen. In other words, they are servants to Mexico's well-established drug trafficking networks.

Despite its longstanding presence, the MS13 was never able to establish a foothold in Tijuana. With a mix of members primarily composed of deportees from different US-based cliques, MS13 members in Tijuana simply worked to survive or pass through the city.

As such, MS13 gang members in Tijuana can be divided into two categories: the quiet ones looking for nothing more than a place to settle down after years of imprisonment, or the active ones moving drugs across the border or offering their services as hitmen, among other crimes.

Die eMe war in dieser Rolle effektiv, aber anders als in den Vereinigten Staaten kontrollierte sie kein Territorium. Ihre Mitglieder transportierten Drogen über die Grenze oder arbeiteten als angeheuerte bewaffnete Männer. Mit anderen Worten: Sie sind Diener der etablierten mexikanischen Drogenhandelsnetzwerke.

Trotz ihrer langjährigen Präsenz gelang es der MS13 nie, in Tijuana Fuß zu fassen. Mit einer Mischung von Mitgliedern, die sich hauptsächlich aus Deportierten verschiedener in den USA ansässiger Cliquen zusammensetzte, arbeiteten die MS13-Mitglieder in Tijuana einfach, um zu überleben oder durch die Stadt zu kommen.

Daher lassen sich die Mitglieder der MS13-Gang in Tijuana in zwei Kategorien einteilen: die stillen, die nach Jahren der Gefangenschaft nichts weiter suchen als einen Ort, an dem sie sich niederlassen können, und die aktiven, die Drogen über die Grenze transportieren oder ihre Dienste als Auftragsmörder anbieten andere Verbrechen.

Flores became one of the active ones.

Flores wurde einer der Aktiven.

The Active Ones

Upon arriving, Robert Ruíz, also known as "Peanut Butter" and a long-time eMe member, welcomed Flores with open arms. Ruíz, who was close with Flores' Big Sandy mentor, Rodríguez, also connected Flores with the best-paying drug traffickers in Mexico. At first, this meant the Knights Templar, a powerful group that had emerged from the remnants of the Familia Michoacana. Later, that would expand

Die Aktiven

Bei seiner Ankunft begrüßte Robert Ruíz, auch bekannt als „Peanut Butter“ und langjähriges eMe-Mitglied, Flores mit offenen Armen. Ruíz, der Flores‘ Big-Sandy-Mentor Rodríguez nahe stand, brachte Flores auch mit den bestbezahlten Drogenhändlern in Mexiko in Verbindung. Zunächst waren damit die Tempelritter gemeint, eine mächtige Gruppe, die aus den Überresten der Familia Michoacana hervorgegangen war. Später würde das erweitert werden

In addition, Flores' relationship with Rodríguez continued. The two kept in touch by phone even after Rodríguez was transferred from Big Sandy to the county jail in Los Angeles. The conversations, many of which were intercepted by the US Justice Department, were full of coded messages about drugs, politics, and loyalty to the brotherhood. Flores and Rodríguez also discussed plans to work with the Knights Templar in Los Angeles.

Over time, Flores' ambition grew. He began to work with whoever paid the best, according to "Yako," a gang member who knew Flores well but asked for his identity to be withheld for security reasons. Flores went on to become a hitman for the Knights Templar, according to a US federal prison official who spoke to InSight Crime on condition of anonymity. He also trafficked methamphetamine to various US cities and even dealt with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Yako.

Darüber hinaus wurde die Beziehung zwischen Flores und Rodríguez fortgesetzt. Die beiden blieben telefonisch in Kontakt, auch nachdem Rodríguez von Big Sandy in das Bezirksgefängnis in Los Angeles verlegt wurde. Die Gespräche, von denen viele vom US-Justizministerium abgehört wurden, waren voller verschlüsselter Botschaften über Drogen, Politik und Loyalität gegenüber der Bruderschaft. Flores und Rodríguez besprachen auch Pläne für eine Zusammenarbeit mit den Tempelrittern in Los Angeles.

Mit der Zeit wuchs Flores' Ehrgeiz. Laut „Yako“ begann er mit demjenigen zusammenzuarbeiten, der am besten bezahlte, einem Gangmitglied, das Flores gut kannte, aber aus Sicherheitsgründen darum bat, seine Identität geheim zu halten. Laut einem US-Bundesgefängnisbeamten, der unter der Bedingung, anonym zu bleiben, mit InSight Crime sprach, wurde Flores später zum Auftragsmörder der Tempelritter. Laut Yako schmuggelte er auch Methamphetamin in verschiedene US-Städte und verhandelte sogar mit dem Sinaloa-Kartell.

With time, Flores' revenues grew, and he invested in a chain of small convenience stores called Tecate Six. Throughout, he maintained contact with the MS13. He gave gang members jobs at his stores or provided a place to stay.

Like he had in Ohio, Flores led a double life. While he used his eMe connections to expand his criminal activity, he became widely respected within the MS13 as somebody who looked out for his homeboys. Flores also kept his original MS13 clique close. For instance, he made sure to send money to the Park View Locos leaders back in Los Angeles.

And when he needed a right-hand man he could count on in Tijuana, he turned to another homie, José Alberto Alvarado Molina, alias "Gorras." Molina -- who would later be investigated by Interpol for drug trafficking and murder -- was famous for his rap songs about the MS13 and had been one of the first to work for Flores at one of his Tecate Six locations.

Mit der Zeit wuchsen die Einnahmen von Flores und er investierte in eine Kette kleiner Convenience-Stores namens Tecate Six. Während der gesamten Zeit hielt er Kontakt zur MS13. Er gab Bandenmitgliedern Jobs in seinen Geschäften oder stellte ihnen eine Unterkunft zur Verfügung.

Wie schon in Ohio führte Flores ein Doppelleben. Während er seine eMe-Verbindungen nutzte, um seine kriminellen Aktivitäten auszuweiten, wurde er innerhalb der MS13 weithin als jemand respektiert, der auf seine Homeboys aufpasste. Flores hielt auch seiner ursprünglichen MS13-Clique nahe. Beispielsweise sorgte er dafür, dass den Anführern der Park View Locos in Los Angeles Geld geschickt wurde.

Und als er in Tijuana eine rechte Hand brauchte, auf die er zählen konnte, wandte er sich an einen anderen Kumpel, José Alberto Alvarado Molina, alias „Gorras“. Molina – gegen den später Interpol wegen Drogenhandels und Mordes ermittelte – war berühmt für seine Rap-Songs über die MS13 und war einer der ersten, der für Flores an einem seiner Tecate Six-Standorte arbeitete.

Still, Flores had his own contradictions. Despite his own criminal activities, for example, Flores told the other homeboys who came to him for support that the gang was not allowed to sell drugs or carry out robberies in Tijuana because the city was not the territory of the MS13 nor the Sureños.

Amidst it all, Flores kept making money and rising in stature. It wasn't long before he owned two taxis and four Tecate Six stores. And after the arrests of several important MS13 leaders in Los Angeles, Flores became the de facto leader of the gang in the city. According to Yako, Flores spent two years overseeing gang operations between Tijuana and Los Angeles.

Dennoch hatte Flores seine eigenen Widersprüche. Trotz seiner eigenen kriminellen Aktivitäten erzählte Flores beispielsweise den anderen Homeboys, die ihn um Unterstützung baten, dass es der Bande nicht gestattet sei, in Tijuana Drogen zu verkaufen oder Raubüberfälle zu verüben, da die Stadt weder das Territorium der MS13 noch der Sureños sei.

Inmitten all dessen verdiente Flores weiterhin Geld und wurde immer bekannter. Es dauerte nicht lange, bis er zwei Taxis und vier Tecate Six-Läden besaß. Und nach der Verhaftung mehrerer wichtiger MS13-Anführer in Los Angeles wurde Flores de facto zum Anführer der Bande in der Stadt. Laut Yako verbrachte Flores zwei Jahre damit, die Bandenoperationen zwischen Tijuana und Los Angeles zu überwachen.

One example of the small-scale logistics network Flores ran across the United States emerged in a federal indictment filed in 2015 in California. Prosecutors accused Flores of connecting methamphetamine dealers to one of his homeboys in a state prison in California. The homebody, using a contraband cell phone, arranged for drug-filled stuffed animals to be sent to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Overall, prosecutors said, Flores arranged for an estimated 10,000 grams of methamphetamines to be distributed in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New York. Money was sent to the MS13's top leadership in El Salvador, known as the Ranfla Nacional, and used to purchase weapons, according to Salvadoran prosecutors.

Ein Beispiel für das kleine Logistiknetzwerk, das Flores in den Vereinigten Staaten betrieb, tauchte in einer 2015 in Kalifornien eingereichten Bundesklageschrift auf. Die Staatsanwaltschaft beschuldigte Flores, Verbindungen zwischen Methamphetamin-Dealern und einem seiner Homeboys in einem Staatsgefängnis in Kalifornien hergestellt zu haben. Mithilfe eines geschmuggelten Mobiltelefons sorgte der Stubenhocker dafür, dass mit Drogen gefüllte Kuscheltiere nach Oklahoma und Arkansas geschickt wurden.

Insgesamt, so die Staatsanwaltschaft, habe Flores die Verteilung von schätzungsweise 10.000 Gramm Methamphetamin in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas und New York veranlasst. Nach Angaben salvadorianischer Staatsanwälte wurde Geld an die oberste Führung der MS13 in El Salvador, bekannt als Ranfla Nacional, geschickt und für den Kauf von Waffen verwendet.

Intrigued, the Ranfla wanted to take things further. Marlon Antonio Menjivar Portillo, alias "Rojo," a Ranfla member based in Mexico who was close to Flores, proposed that all the homies in Tijuana should run under the "Mexico Program." The program was an extension of the Ranfla's leadership, and doing so would mean that every MS13 member in Mexico was controlled from El Salvador.

Flores responded with a resounding "no." It was the clearest signal yet of where his allegiances stood. As a soldier of the eMe, he could not allow the MS13 -- or any gang on the border, for that matter -- to establish itself in Tijuana. The Sur philosophy that kept the peace between the gangs had to be maintained, he reasoned.

Fasziniert wollte die Ranfla die Sache noch weiter vorantreiben. Marlon Antonio Menjivar Portillo, alias „Rojo“, ein in Mexiko ansässiges Ranfla-Mitglied, das Flores nahe stand, schlug vor, dass alle Homies in Tijuana im Rahmen des „Mexiko-Programms“ laufen sollten. Das Programm war eine Erweiterung der Ranfla-Führung und würde bedeuten, dass jedes MS13-Mitglied in Mexiko von El Salvador aus kontrolliert würde.

Flores antwortete mit einem klaren „Nein“. Es war das bisher deutlichste Signal dafür, wofür er stand. Als Soldat der eMe konnte er nicht zulassen, dass sich die MS13 – oder überhaupt eine Bande an der Grenze – in Tijuana niederließ. Die Sur-Philosophie, die den Frieden zwischen den Banden sicherte, müsse gewahrt bleiben, argumentierte er.

But Menjivar wouldn't let it go. He contacted Flores again to suggest that any MS13 members buying and selling drugs in Mexico should operate under a single chain of command directed by the Ranfla in El Salvador. Flores was surprised by his insistence but decided to meet him halfway.

He said he could help the Ranfla find cheaper suppliers but nothing more. While he had no intention of going against his Salvadoran counterparts, he explained that he was dedicating his time to the eMe. The Ranfla fell silent.

"Nobody followed up on it," said Yako.

Aber Menjivar ließ es nicht locker. Er kontaktierte Flores erneut und schlug vor, dass alle MS13-Mitglieder, die in Mexiko Drogen kaufen und verkaufen, einer einzigen Befehlskette unter der Leitung der Ranfla in El Salvador unterstehen sollten. Flores war von seiner Beharrlichkeit überrascht, beschloss jedoch, ihm auf halbem Weg entgegenzukommen.

Er sagte, er könne der Ranfla helfen, günstigere Lieferanten zu finden, mehr aber nicht. Obwohl er nicht die Absicht hatte, gegen seine salvadorianischen Kollegen vorzugehen, erklärte er, dass er seine Zeit der eMe widme. Der Ranfla verstummte.

„Niemand hat dem nachgegangen“, sagte Yako.

[brookston]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Commonwealth Day (Belize)

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

European Day of Parks

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services For Children Day

National Mike Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

World Tarot Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

4th Wednesday in May

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day [4th Wednesday]

National Brown Bag It Day [Last Wednesday; also 5.25]

National Senior Health and Fitness Day [Last Wednesday]

World Orienteering Day [4th Wednesday]

World Otter Day [Last Wednesday]

Independence Days

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Empire of New Prussia (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Kingdom of Africa (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Kingdom of Sycamore (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Lunataria (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Neo-Dumnonii Kingdom (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pilatia (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Pontormo (Artology)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 21 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 6 (Ren-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 4 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 23 Bīja; Twosday [23 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2023

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 32)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 5.24

Holidays

Aviation Maintenance Technician Day

Battle of Pichincha Day (Ecuador)

Bermuda Day [if weekend, nearest weekday]

Blink 182 Day

Brooklyn Bridge Day

Brother's Day

Camping with Barry White Day (David Letterman)

Commonwealth Day (Belize)

Culture and Literacy Day (Bulgaria)

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets

Duck Day (French Republic)

Dylan Day (a.k.a. Bob Dylan Day)

European Day of Parks

First Responders Appreciation Day (Ohio)

International Day Against Epilepsy

International Tiara Day

International Women’s Day for Peace & Disarmament

Little Lamb Day

Long Snapper Appreciation Day

Lubiri Memorial Day (Uganda)

Morse Code Day

National Aviation Maintenance Tech Day

National Beautiful Girls Day

National Caterers Appreciation Day

National DevOps Day

National DILF Day

National Emergency Medical Services For Children Day

National Mike Day

National Schizophrenia & Psychosis Awareness Day (Canada)

National Wyoming Day

Night Baseball Day

Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day

Parking Meter Day

Play Kick the Can With A Kid Day

Sara the Black's Day (Gypsy)

Scavenger Hunt Day

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day (Macedonia)

Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russia)

World Product Day

World Schizophrenia Day

World Tarot Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Asparagus Day

Endless Breakfast Day (Denny’s)

Judgment of Paris Day

National Coffee Day (Brazil)

National Escargot Day

National Lamb Day (New Zealand)

National Schlumpia Day

Yucatan Shrimp Day

4th Wednesday in May

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day [4th Wednesday]

National Brown Bag It Day [Last Wednesday; also 5.25]

National Senior Health and Fitness Day [Last Wednesday]

World Orienteering Day [4th Wednesday]

World Otter Day [Last Wednesday]

Independence Days

Ecuador (from Spain, 1822)

Empire of New Prussia (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Eritrea (from Ethiopia, 1993)

Kingdom of Africa (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

Kingdom of Sycamore (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Lunataria (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Neo-Dumnonii Kingdom (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pilatia (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Aldersgate Day (a.k.a. Wesley Day; Methodism)

Anna Pak Agi (Christian; One of The Korean Martyrs)

Day of the Horae (Pagan)

Donatian and Rogatian (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus (Patron of Alchemy)

Jackson Kemper (Episcopal Church)

St. Jerome (Positivist; Saint)

Joanna (Christian; Saint)

John de Prado (Christian; Saint)

Mary, Help of Christians (Christian; Saint)

Mollusc Day (Pastafarian)

The Mothers (Celtic Prosperity Festival)

Pontormo (Artology)

Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Day (Macedonia)

Sam the Robot (Muppetism)

Sarah (celebrated by the Romani people of Camargue; Christian; Saint)

Victory Over the U.S. Day (Church of the SubGenius; Canada)

Vincent of Lérins (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because I danced ‘cause I wanted to. I left my friends behind, because my friends didn't dance and since they didn't dance, they were no friends of mine.)

Premieres

Backdraft (Film; 1991)

Beep, Beep (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Before Midnight (Film; 2013)

Booksmart (Film; 2019)

Braveheart (Film; 1995)

The Day After Tomorrow (Film; 2004)

Diamond Dogs, by David Bowie (Album; 1974)

Drop Dead Fred (Film; 1991)

Epic (Animated Film; 2013)

Fast & Furious 6 (Film; 2013) [F&F #6]

Faust, selected scenes, by Goethe (Play; 1819)

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Novel; 2012)

Gravity’s Rainbow, by Pat Benatar (Album; 1993)

Hollywood Steps Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1941)

Hudson Hawk (Film; 1991)

An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Film; 2006)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Film; 1989)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1968)

Mission: Impossible 2 (Film; 2000)

1776, by David McCullough (Book; 2005)

Spirit (Animated Film; 2002)

Spy Hard (Film; 1996)

Sugar, Sugar, by The Archies (Song; 1969)

Thelma & Louise (Film; 1991)

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (Film; 1974)

Truth or Dare (Documentary Film; 1991)

A View to a Kill (Film; 1985) [James Bond #14]

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Film; 1996)

Today’s Name Days

Dagmar, Esther (Austria)

Filip, Ivana, Šimun (Croatia)

Jana (Czech Republic)

Esther (Denmark)

Alar, Alari, Allar, Aller (Estonia)

Touko, Tuukka (Finland)

Donatien (France)

Dagmar, Esther (Germany)

Markiani, Palladia, Photini (Greece)

Eliza, Eszter (Hungary)

Amalia, Maria (Italy)

Agate, Anšlavs, Estere, Ilvija, Marlena, Ziedone (Latvia)

Gerardas, Gina, Vilmantas (Lithuania)

Ester, Iris (Norway)

Cieszysława, Estera, Jan, Joanna, Maria, Mokij, Wincenty, Zula, Zuzanna (Poland)

Simeon (România)

Ela (Slovakia)

Auxiliadora, Auxilio, María, Susana (Spain)

Ivan, Vanja (Sweden)

Christian (Ukraine)

Chelsea, Chelsey, Chelsie, Landon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 144 of 2024; 221 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 21 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 6 (Ren-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 4 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 23 Bīja; Twosday [23 of 30]

Julian: 11 May 2023

Moon: 23%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 4 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Jerome]

Runic Half Month: Ing (Expansive Energy) [Day 15 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 66 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 4 of 32)

[lizzierybackwrites]

Top of the 1st

Home plate seems like a logical place to start. I was a catcher, after all. 

I never played baseball, only softball, but not for lack of interest. I like to tell people that when I was a little girl, my dad told me I couldn’t play baseball, but in truth it was less overt and more implied.

I’ve been thinking a lot about home lately, and not just home plate. 

My Marlins lost 6-4 to the damned Atlanta Braves tonight, damned only because they have an uncanny ability to constantly beat the pants off us. It was a loss largely due to home runs, and untimely walks. It’s so familiar it's almost comforting. Ever the superstitious fan, I mentioned to my mother, “I don’t want to lose this game,” on my way to say goodnight to her. Is the familiar where home resides? If that’s the case, I should’ve felt right at home tonight, but instead, I was restless.

I’ve lived in a few different places in my 33 years. I was born and raised in south Florida, and I’ve lived briefly in different spots in central and northern Florida, too. I did 7 years in Nebraska, which was a good dose of culture shock. I got to experience 101° at home and -26° in Omaha in the same year. 

My two brothers and the roots they’ve set down in the last 14 or so years reside in Cleveland, Ohio. Like many families, we’re spread out. California to Philadelphia, then down here to Broward County (Ft. Lauderale), and up to Cleveland in the middleish. My father, deceased, was born outside of Cleveland. His uncle and one cousin have been there more or less their whole lives. But it was my Marlins that defeated the Cleveland Indians in 1997, to win it all 4 years after becoming. I was 4 when Charlie Hough lobbed the first pitch in Marlins’ history before a sold out crowd at Joe Robbie stadium in Miami Gardens.

I saw so many innings in the heat, weathered endless late night Pro Player (neé Joe Robbie) rain delays. When I couldn’t be at the stadium, I listened with rapt attention to TV broadcasts where Tommy Hutton would teach me the difference between a slider and a curve. He’s my Vin Scully, the tone and pitch of his voice an indicator that I could leave it all alone for the next 9 innings, at least.

Is the familiar where home resides? Next to nothing about Cleveland is familiar to me. Visits here and there, good times and excursions, sure, but familiar is swampy heat. It’s the taste of sweat on my upper lip as clay falls out of my catcher’s mask and curtains in front of my face after a throw down to second.

We’re moving, my mom, dog and I, up to Cleveland next year. Our roots have shriveled up, cast into the ocean with a small box of ashes. Infield dimensions are regulation in major league baseball. The fences can come in, or move out, but home plate stays true. 12 inches on each side into the point towards second, and eight and a half inches down the sides–17 inches for the base. I’m reading a book on Cleveland baseball that Clare, my sister-in-law, gifted me. I’m learning and exploring in my own way, trying to hollow out a familiarity before I pack a single box.

The Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) started planning a grand stadium in 1927, the year my mom’s mom was born in Philadelphia. Municipal Stadium (Cleveland Stadium) housed much of the baseball history I’m familiarizing myself with, burrowing into.

The Indians played their last game at Municipal Stadium at the end of the MLB season in 1993, the same season imprinted in my mind as the Florida Marlins’ inaugural season. Construction on the site of the demolished stadium, to become the new home of NFL’s Browns, began in 1997--the year my Marlins held off the Indians for their first World Series championship.

This season, my last full season as a dedicated Marlins fan, is the 30th anniversary of my Marlins’ first season, and 20 years since our second World Series title. Somehow, as with so much in this damned sport, the stars are aligning to remind me that home isn’t always a house, a permanent, stuck place. Sometimes it's in the crisp pages of a new book holding the keys to your proverbial home.

How can you not be romantic about baseball?