Tonight is AAA Triplemania XXXI: Mexico City! For the AAA Latin American Championship, Pentagon Jr. vs. QT Marshall, vs. Dralistico vs. Brian Cage! We will cover the show so don't miss out!

Team 3D vs. Abyss and Matt Morgan vs. Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Latin American Xchange | Monster’s Ball match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship Bound for Glory IV October 12, 2008

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay: May 9th, 2017

Title: Meet the Speedster's Parents

The Speedster Parents, particularly Bonn and Rita Speedster are now 7 years of appearance since their inception. To this day, Bonn and Rita are still labeled as 'Mentors' to their Speedster Kids (Spot and Riya). As for their bios, they're both old and forgotten. So, let's refresh their biography information because things change for Bonn and Rita.

Name: Bonn "The Spot" Speedster 🐰🚹 Age: 35 Gender: Male Species: Puppy-Bunny Color fur: Blue w/ dark spots Nationality: American 🇺🇸

Information: • Bonn "The Spot" Speedster is a blue-dog hybrid creature, who won numerous motorsport titles in his resume of accolades, from reigning 8-time race kart champion at the age of 12, to pro-stock car racing (3 times), to world rally championship (2 times), to F1 world champion (1 time), and even drift car championship (1 time). He's currently signed as the Le Mans Hyper Car Racer for the World Endurance Championship and has a part-time boxer career with his boxing license. Bonn is also a great athlete who always loves to shape up in the morning with his wife. He'd also been the owner of the "Bonn's Auto Customs Shop and Repair" established in 2011, the same year as Spot and Riya was born.

Other interest: Watching Anime and Cartoons (depends, especially adult-rated cartoons), loves pet bunny rabbits (all kinds of breed), playing video games, tuning/fixing automobiles, and gadgets.

Fun fact for Bonn: Bonn was idolized with the former Boxer and Philippine Senator, Manny Pacquiao (among other well-known iconic and respective Boxers, both legend and veterans). Even though, Bonn was a pure American blood, he always respect at Philippine foreigners, including his wife Rita.

Name: Rita Frias Speedster 🐶🚺 Age: 35 Gender: Female Species: Puppy-Cat Color: Light Magenta Nationality: Dual Citizen; Filipina 🇵🇭 (Philippine Citizen) and American 🇺🇸

Information: • Rita Frias Speedster is a Magenta puppy-cat hybrid who migrated to the United States as an OFW, which stands for "Overseas Filipina Worker" (For male "Filipino"). She's an Olympian sprinter who represents the Philippines at the Summer Olympics, and she takes home two silver medals, at the age of 20 & 24. At 25, she became a teacher/coach of the sprint runner before she retired at 30, and switched to a professional biker (who won 3 times at the superbike championship and won 5 times at the motocross championship on her resume) and a part-time MMA fighter. She holds two careers, to this day.

Other interest: Learning Philippine-related cultures such as language, food, and others to their foreign neighborhoods (e.g. Americans, Latin Americans, etc.), loves pet dogs (all kinds of breed), adventuring nature landscapes, riding bikes.

Fun fact for Rita: At age of 16, she used to ride motor tricycles, while on her sprint training break. The motor tricycle was inherited from her late father, and to this day, it is still operational by her numerous family members.

Bonn and Rita Speedster - created by ME!

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: March 2024

AND NEW PAN-AFRIKAN WORLD DIASPORA WRESTLING CHAMPION … Suge D Topples A Reign Longer Than Roman’s

At 1,338 days, Trish Adora stood tall as the longest-tenured world titleholder recognized by PWI. NOW, her coveted title begins a bold, new era led by ambitious ring vet Suge D

TEXT BY KEVIN McELVANEY

PHOTOS BY JAYLEE MEDIA

“IF YOU SAID I could … if you said i couldn’t … thank you.” Thus reads a tweet by the newly crowned Suge D, composed the night he fulfilled a mission that even he thought might be impossible. Indeed, the veteran grappler–who proudly embraces the label “journeyman” after competing around the globe for two decades–had twice tried to unseat Trish Adora as the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling champion. On Sunday, October 15, 2023, he was finally successful in his third attempt..

“This is the real deal … and I feel like there's like such a weight and a responsibility to go with that, and I'm still letting it sink in,” Suge said, speaking with PWI a few days after likely the biggest win of his career. “(TWE Chattanooga champion) Darian Bengston called me the other day, saying, ‘I was talking to my friends, and it’s like, I wonder if it’s set in for Suge yet that he’s an actual world champion.’ By the time this makes print, no, it probably still hasn’t set in. But I totally get the responsibility.”

The gorgeous, green PAWD title belt Suge D grasps during our interview has become one of the most coveted prizes on the independent circuit since its February 2020 introduction. Commissioned by the District of Columbia-based F1ght Club Pro, the championship is meant to highlight Black wrestlers not just locally, but from all over the globe; to create opportunities in an industry that hasn’t always been kind to marginalized groups.

[Suge D and Trish Adora bridge up off the canvas, each attempting to outleverage the other. Nearby, Darius Carter prepares to put the boots to the two fan favorites.]

“Lucha libre is this authentic Mexican thing,” explains Suge D, by way of comparison. “It’s a Latin thing. And it can exist in its own realm and its own world, untouched by anything else that comes into it. They’ll allow some guests in. But you can have greats in lucha libre that have never touched American soil, and it’s all good. There’s a respect and a reverence for it–same thing with Japanese Wrestling. Once we start talking about the idea of Black wrestling doing the same thing, I feel like it kind of rubs people the wrong way. I’ve even seen people make comments about it, like, ‘Oh, that’s such a racist title.’ No, we’re just celebrating the cultural aspects of us as Black performers, African-American performers, Afro-Latino performers.” Suge adds that he wants wrestling fans of all backgrounds to enjoy the matches and stories on display.

[Darius Carter nails Suge with a blatant low blow during the triple-threat bout. Though he prefers to rely on his mat prowess, Carter is definitely not above taking such shortcuts.]

Though the March 2020 declaration of a global pandemic limited the title’s reach in its early days, inaugural Pan-Afrikan champion Trish Asdora defended it valiantly across the U.S. for the first two years of her reign.She ventured overseas as soon as she was able to do so–March 2022–retaining over Rhio and Mercedez Blaze on two consecutive nights at PROGRESS Wrestling. By that time, the coveted green belt was already seen as the provenance of a legitimate world champion, recognized as such by PWI the previous summer.

Like the IWTV Independent Wrestling World championship, which earned world-title status on the same day in August 2021, the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling crown was a traveling championship in the traditional sense. “The Afro Punk” put it up for grabs with regularity, pinning or submitting some of the toughest competition the U.S. had to offer: dynamic performers such as Big Swole, Janai Kai, Eel O’Neal, and Ashton Starr (to name a few). She memorably retained against MLW superheavyweight Calvin Tankman at GCW’s For The Culture 2023.

[Adora and Suge D know each other quite well, which resulted in another thrilling battle between the two.]

When Adora’s schedule became busier–competing for AEW and Ring of Honor, training at the NJPW Academy–her World title defenses became far less frequent. In October 2023, she faced her ultimate challenger at F1ght Club Pro’s “Thriller” show, battling Darius Carter and Suge D in the triple-threat main event.

The smug, ruthless Carter had never forgotten the disputed finish to an August 2021 title bout with Adora at New Jersey's We Are Wrestling. And the man who dubbed himself “Wrestling’s Richest Prize” was favored by many to go home with the championship on that fateful day two years later–perhaps even by the wrestler who ultimately left with the belt around his waist. “Darius Carter is a terrible man,” admitted Suge D. “But he’s a great wrestler.”

Carter was prematurely taken out of the fight by Eel O'Neal, who attempted to cash in a “wild card” title shot during the scheduled triple-threat. An altercation between the two erstwhile allies allowed the championship to be decided between Suge D and Trish Adora. The fan favorites each showed off their mat prowess, trading pinning combinations until, finally, it was the challenger who pinned the champ’s shoulders to the mat for a three-count.

“I’m not just saying this because she and I have become close friends: I think the world of her. She’s a one-of-one,” Suge says of Adora. “There’s a tenacity about her and goal-making. She’ll write down what she wants and fixate on what it’s going to take to make these things happen. She goes out there and tries every door, every lock, every key to unlock those doors and get where she’s going. If it isn’t enough, she will go back and rewrite that list, fixate, and then try to top that list.”

Trish Adora is a tough act to follow. Twenty years into his career, Suge D now faces a barrage of potential challengers–all of whom want to defeat him and become world champion. This is a prize, after all, that has become world champion. This is a prize, after all, that has been spoken of with reverence by independent and contracted wrestlers alike; one mentioned on ROH TV by wrestler-commentator Caprice Coleman (someone Suge holds in high regard and would be happy to grant a title shot.)

[Carter became incensed when his Best Business Bureau ally, Eel O’Neal, attempted to cash in a guaranteed title shot during the match.]

To his credit, Suge D welcomes the onslaught of contenders. “There are great talents at Battle Club Pro, ACTION Wrestling, West Coast Pro, Naptown, Glory Pro, Asé Wrestling.”he says. “You literally could have a super-indie right now and just book it with Black talent and still be able to have two, three, or four more drafts of a show with completely different talent, and it’s all good.”

[New Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora champ Suge D poses with inaugural titleholder Trish Adora and F1ght Club promoter Jonny X backstage.]

On the U.S. indie circuit, Suge singles out heavy hitters including Bryan Keith, Camaro Jackson, and Arik Royal, along with Joseline Navarro (his first confirmed challenger), as those he’d like to see get a chance at the Pan-Afrikan World championship. In the U.K., he cites the work of Roy Johnson, whose “Everything Patterned events put Black wrestlers in the spotlight: British veteran Warren Banks, recent IMPACT signee Leon Slater, and possible opponents. Then, there’s Zombie Dragon, who competes and helps train grapplers for China’s Middle Kingdom Wrestling. Suge praises Dragon’s aesthetic and in-ring abilities, expressing interest in a possible international matchup.

It’s obvious that the new champ wants to emphasize the global nature of the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora title. Of course, he’ll have to work hard not to lose it to another determined athlete along the way.

“You know, I’m a wrestling nerd at heart,” Suge D reflects. “When we have these conversations about PWI, I was deep in those magazines, reading the international section and finding out all this other stuff. With social media, I want to know more about everybody that’s out there, and I want to be able to connect us. If Trish was the foundation of this championship, I'm trying to pave the streets that lead to this house, so that we can have a community. So, whether they come to me or I gotta go out there to find them, that’s what I'm gonna do.”

True; writing the profile about Wrath,the Wren sibiling and co., are going to be an ordeal since most infos i got from all the routes,tumblr and amino, about wrath i know this:

Ranza was said to be Latina in the SWM Q&A on Lovestruck's Instagram. It is not known where her family originates, but Ranza herself is from New York. She is a fan of boxing and is a championship winner herself. Wrath was in the Olympics for Olympic Boxing. She won 3 gold and one silver. Read here about the history of Latino and Mexican boxing x.

It's September, which means it's Hispanic Heritage Month in America. Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community.

The month has been celebrated nationwide through festivals, art shows, conferences, community gatherings, and much more. The month also celebrates the independence days of several Latin American countries, including: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th. They also include holidays that recognize Hispanic contributions such as Virgin Islands-Puerto Rico Friendship Day that is celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands

In America, Hispanic refers to individuals who are Spanish-speaking or have a background in a Spanish-speaking country. Hispanic is not as a race, but is an ethnicity. Hispanics can in fact be of any race.

Thanks amino again👍🏻

Do you know which choice/route New York was mentioned? I should go back to check her route again, I probably missed it or it was hidden behind a choice that I didn’t pick lol

Because all I remember in Ranza’s own route is SWM MC asked “where are you from?” and Ranza replied “south”.

Mabel Cadena and Alex Livinalli

Picture: Sabina Graves/Gizmodo In Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally, audiences shall be launched to the underwater civilization of the Talokan (impressed by the traditional Aztec paradise Tlālōcān), which reimagines the Atlantean villain Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his armies as extra complicated antagonists. 01:25 Randall Park’s Favourite Superheroes Monday 5:02PM Throughout the movie’s press day, we sat down with two of the movie’s Talokan warriors: Namor’s cousin and second in command, Namora, performed by Mabel Cadena (Dance of the 41), and the mighty Attuma, portrayed by Alex Livinalli (Alita: Battle Angel). Being from Indigenous ancestry myself, it was thrilling to debate the care taken with together with Latin American expertise within the creation of one other fictional civilization—like Wakanda, however infused with actual cultural touchstones and languages. “To me, it’s loopy as a result of I can discover within the film the little issues from my Mexican tradition. And should you hear the Mayan language it’s like, ‘Oh my God, are you able to consider we now have illustration for the primary time in a film like this?’” Cadena defined, noting that the underwater civilization incorporates actual Yucatec Maya language and pulls direct inspiration from that heritage. “And I feel it’s the proper film to have made this area.” Livinalli agreed. “It’s a excellent time as a result of we’d not be right here with out the Black Panther. You understand, Black Panther opened so many doorways, broke down so many doorways for thus many individuals, that it’s simply the best time for it,” he stated. “I’m very excited to have the ability to to point out these characters primarily based on a Mesoamerican tradition for for different folks to say, ‘Hey, he seems to be like me. He has an accent like me. Maybe that could possibly be me.’ In order that’s very thrilling.” The actors give credit score to the management of director Ryan Coogler, whose workforce labored with cultural consultants to ensure that all selections have been made with thoughtfulness, a part of a dedication to authentically symbolize the Mesoamerican tradition. He additionally carefully collaborated with the actors to bring their reality to their performances. “It’s superb as a result of Ryan [will] at all times have a phrase for you and at all times attempt to hear you,” Cadena shared. “It’s like, ‘Okay, what do it’s worthwhile to say about this? About your tradition?’” She’d freely give enter in these moments, responding, “Okay, ‘Effectively, as a Mexican. I must say this.’ And he’s like, ‘Let’s do it.’ So on a regular basis Ryan [would] make it possible to work round your ideas and your beliefs. So it’s superb.” Livinalli had an identical expertise. “Ryan, he brings the humanity out of every one among us, out of every character. He finds a really particular option to talk in another way with every one among us,” he stated. “One among our first conferences, you understand, we talked about our meals, ‘The place are you from?’, sports, ‘What do you want?’ And the one language that he used to speak with me throughout the shoot was basketball. He’s a Golden State Warriors fan. I’m a Miami Warmth fan. So a variety of our communication was by means of like basketball analogies. ‘On this scene, you’re doing this and it’s sort of like that second when the championship...’ sort of factor. So I felt very particular that he took the time to learn how to speak with me in that sense. And it simply made the entire shoot really easygoing. So simply very grateful for that. And Ryan doesn’t miss something he does, you understand? Nothing however internet.” G/O Media could get a fee Black Panther: Wakanda Eternally opens November 11. Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and every part it’s worthwhile to find out about James Cameron’s Avatar: The Means of Water. Originally published at Irvine News HQ

“Miami Vice:” The Pilot Episode

When “Miami Vice” premiered in Sunday night prime time on NBC September 16, 1984, Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas were fledgling thirty-something actors, each with credits in film and television, and Miami a midsize Latin American resort city and port on Florida’s southeast coast.

By the time the show went off the air five years later, the two men were household names and Miami had become an internationally known destination and bona fide cosmopolitan metropolis.

Philip Michael Thomas (left) and Don Johnson, as they appeared in the 1984 pilot episode of “Miami Vice” titled “Brother’s Keeper.” (NBC)

When the two part, two hour pilot episode titled “Brother’s Keeper” was broadcast in the early 1980s, Miami had garnered the notorious reputation as one of America’s most dangerous cities, with one of its highest per capita murder rates.

Beside the 1983 University of Miami Hurricanes football team winning its first national championship under head coach Howard Schnellenberger, Miami had few draws to outsiders for the city and surrounding Dade County and its one and a half million residents, with ongoing racial strife, a thriving drug trade, and a sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of immigrants fleeing nearby countries like Cuba and Haiti amid ongoing political and economic instability.

It was against this backdrop that NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff greenlit the flashy crime drama of “MTV cops” in Miami, making it among the most expensive new television shows at the time.

Cover of Time magazine for September 16, 1985. (Time Archives)

By the time the show’s second season premiered in September 1985, Johnson and Thomas, who played Miami cops James “Sonny” Crockett and Ricardo “Rico” Tubbs, appeared together on the cover of a Time magazine issue which dubbed the program, “Cool Cops, Hot Show,” and its theme song topped the Billboard Hot 100 that November.

The first episode introduces viewers to supporting players Saundra Santiago (Gina), Olivia Brown (Trudy), Michael Talbott (Stan), and John Diehl (Larry). Miami Police Lieutenant Marty Castillo, played by famed actor Edward James Olmos, debuts in episode six, replacing Gregory Sierra of “Sanford and Son” fame, whose character is killed off in the fourth episode.

The first scene is set in a dilapidated Miami Beach on Ocean Drive, and the episode goes on to showcase panoramic views of Dade County’s beaches, Biscayne Bay, and a growing Miami skyline.

Clip from “Brother’s Keeper.”

A nighttime driving sequence with Crockett and Tubbs in a black Ferrari Daytona set to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” became as iconic as the clothes the buddies wore, and was the beginning of a trend that made the show and its two stars leaders in men’s fashion toward the latter end of the decade.

With a screenplay manifested by legendary filmmaker Michael Mann, the pilot episode of “Miami Vice” transformed the show’s namesake city, the careers of Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, and the landscape of television forever.

Events 5.25 (before 1960)

567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors. 1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ. 1521 – The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw. 1644 – Ming general Wu Sangui forms an alliance with the invading Manchus and opens the gates of the Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan pass, letting the Manchus through towards the capital Beijing. 1659 – Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth of England. 1660 – Charles II lands at Dover at the invitation of the Convention Parliament, which marks the end of the Cromwell-proclaimed Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and begins the Restoration of the British monarchy. 1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland ends the Conojocular War with settlement of a boundary dispute and exchange of prisoners. 1763 – First issue of Norske Intelligenz-Seddeler, the first regular Norwegian newspaper (1763–1920). 1787 – After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured. 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Battle of Carlow begins; executions of suspected rebels at Carnew and at Dunlavin Green take place. 1809 – Chuquisaca Revolution: Patriot revolt in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) against the Spanish Empire, sparking the Latin American wars of independence. 1810 – May Revolution: Citizens of Buenos Aires expel Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the "May Week", starting the Argentine War of Independence. 1819 – The Argentine Constitution of 1819 is promulgated. 1833 – The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated. 1865 – In Mobile, Alabama, around 300 people are killed when an ordnance depot explodes. 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opens at the Opera Comique in London. 1895 – Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison. 1895 – The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president. 1914 – The House of Commons of the United Kingdom passes the Home Rule Bill for devolution in Ireland. 1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching human evolution in Tennessee. 1926 – Sholom Schwartzbard assassinates Symon Petliura, the head of the government of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which is in government-in-exile in Paris. 1933 – The Walt Disney Company cartoon Three Little Pigs premieres at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" 1935 – Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1938 – Spanish Civil War: The bombing of Alicante kills 313 people. 1940 – World War II: The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marks the end of the Battle of Boulogne. 1946 – The parliament of Transjordan makes Abdullah I of Jordan their Emir. 1953 – Nuclear weapons testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test. 1953 – The first public television station in the United States officially begins broadcasting as KUHT from the campus of the University of Houston. 1955 – First ascent of Mount Kangchenjunga: On the British Kangchenjunga expedition led by Charles Evans, Joe Brown and George Band reach the summit of the third-highest mountain in the world (8,586 meters); Norman Hardie and Tony Streather join them the following day.

Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from a year ago: Sunday, 1st January 2023

Welcome, mirë se vjen, أهلا بك (ahlan bika), dobrodošli 🤗 What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (1st January 2023) 🏆🌟🔥?

1️⃣: Avatar: The Way of Water "Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film co-produced and directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from a story the trio wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. Distributed by 20th Century Studios, it is the sequel to..."

2️⃣: Barbara Walters "Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929 – December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including Today, the ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Lynn Gilbert

3️⃣: Andrew Tate "Emory Andrew Tate III (born 1 December 1986) is an American-British social media personality, businessman, and former professional kickboxer. Tate began practicing kickboxing in 2005, gaining his first championship in 2009, later becoming a four-time world champion. In 2016 he appeared on the..."

Image licensed under CC BY 3.0? by Anything Goes With James English

4️⃣: Pope Benedict XVI "Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013...."

Image licensed under GFDL 1.2? by Kancelaria Prezydenta RP

5️⃣: Stetson Bennett "Stetson Fleming Bennett IV (born October 28, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Jones College and Georgia. Nicknamed "the Mailman", he started his career as a walk-on at Georgia before transferring..."

Image licensed under CC BY 3.0? by Bobak Ha'Eri

AEW Rampage: Fyter Fest, Night 2 Results - August 25, 2023

1. Orange Cassidy def. Aaron Solo in 9:11 to retain the AEW International Championship

2. QT Marshall def. Gravity in 9:53 to retain the AAA Latin American Championship

3. Luchasaurus def. Ren Jones in 1:11

4. Saraya & Toni Storm def. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Hikaru Shida in 11:53

In The Net

I fell in love with a sport when I was in grad school at Indiana U. No, it wasn’t football (Indiana always sucks). It wasn’t basketball (even though IU was dominant back then). It wasn’t baseball or tennis. It was soccer, and IU had back-to-back NCAA championships. I went to many matches at the soccer pitch, and became a true fan.

Of course, I need to throw out a sidebar and issue an apology. “Soccer” is what we call it here in the States. The rest of the world calls it football, a far more appropriate moniker given that the players’ feet are making steady contact with the ball. It’s just that we already have a football sport, one in which an oddly-shaped ball is primarily thrown, and only kicked in special occasions.

But I digress.

As a result of my fandom, I went to many pro soccer matches back home in Chicago during the summer. The Chicago Sting of the North American Soccer League had lured German star Karl-Heinz Granitza to play for them, and the excitement was palpable.

Alas, even though soccer has been played in the States since the 1850s, and at the pro level since 1968, it has never taken off like the Big Four (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey). Even international stars like Grantiza in the 1980s and Pelé in the 1970s couldn’t propel the sport to national prominence. It mattered not if soccer was played at pro, collegiate, or youth levels, it just couldn’t gain traction. Americans prefer a different kind of sport, one with lots of points, and typically not with the finesse that is common in soccer.

If you have ever experienced watching or playing to a nil-nil draw, you know just how intense the play is, with ball-handling and defense on par with one another. It’s that many Americans find it all too tedious.

But not anymore. Soccer has enjoyed a rise in popularity, thanks to the success of the US Women’s team (and to a much lesser extent, the Men’s team). Better yet, and this is the really big news for soccer, the arrival of Lionel Messi. He captains both the Inter Miami soccer club and the Argentinian national team.

And suddenly, soccer is grabbing headlines. Heck, Inter Miami’s Instagram account has more than 14 million followers, which is more than any professional sports team in the US. Take that, American football and the rest of you wannabes. More than 19,000 fans recently showed up at Toyota Stadium to watch Inter Miami and Messi take on FC Dallas, unprecedented for Cowboy-crazy Dallas.

What really matters for the marketers, though, is not so much how many butts in seats there were, but how many eyeballs were watching on television. Apple TV is enjoying a surge in subscriptions, thanks to its exclusive offering of Major League Soccer. Eyeballs can be advertised to.

Viewership of the US Women’s team in World Cup competition sagged this year, but that may very well have been because of inconvenient kickoff times, and not so much the sport. The time difference between New Zealand and Australia compared to the US was too much for many fans to overcome.

I am thrilled to see soccer finally gaining some level of success in the US. It has taken far too long. It doesn’t mean we should banish the sports that have long been popular here. It just means we need to get another chair for the dinner table. And with a growing Latin American population, for whom soccer is popular in their homelands, the sport is set to surge here now.

Besides, just like with the metric system, the US is the odd man out when it comes to the global arena. It’s high time we join the rest of the world. For the marketers to enjoy all those eyeballs, though, they need more players like Messi to put MLS on that stage. We—that means all of us—need to take the time to learn a little bit about the game, how to appreciate the style of play, and the method to the madness.Just like I did 35 years ago in Indiana.

Dr “Kick It!” Gerlich

Audio Blog

AEW Star Brian Cage Says He's 'Sidelined Very Briefly' After Missing TripleMania XXXI

Feedzy Read More  By /Aug. 14, 2023 12:21 am EST On Saturday, Brian Cage was slated to appear at AAA TripleMania XXXI in Mexico City in the four-way match for the AAA Latin American Championship, but couldn’t make it to the event. Cage shared on social media that he missed the event because he was in the ER. Cage didn’t reveal what the medical emergency was, but he did note that he was going to…

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Low Turnout for Trump’s Tailgating Party

Stephen Jay Morris

6/14/2023

©Scientific Morality

            Oh, you should have read the Tweets on Twitter’s cyber bulletin board! The Chuds were as histrionic as a high school drama major. One Tweet read, “We will avenge the deep state in indicting our patriotic leader President Donald J Trump! Blood will be flowing in the streets of Miami! Signed American Warrior!” Well, the only thing flowing was sewage from a busted pipe in the street gutters of Miami—which is a normal occurrence in that city.

The only glamour that’s ever come out of Miami was in the 1980’s TV crime drama, “Miami Vice,” with its pastel colored clothes and buildings, fast sports cars, and 80’s music on the soundtrack. Florida has become the premier state of reactionary politics, alligators high on meth, and White Trash criminals robbing convenience stores. If you like tornadoes, tidal waves, or unbearable humidity in the summer, Florida is your state! There’s lot of racism against Afro-Americans and Latin migrant workers. Jewish retirees are subjects of Anti-Semitic jokes. That is, unless you’re a WASP or an exile of Communist CUBA.  White Catholics are treated as second class Aryans unless they’re Conservatively correct.  No wonder the state is shaped like a penis. Does that mean America is no longer identified by the pronouns she/her?  America is a Trans-nation?? Florida’s governor, an Italian American named Ron DeSantis, thinks he is going to beat Trump for the presidency in 2024. He cannot stop using the word, “Woke” anytime he’s on camera, in public. Does he have a solution to Florida’s infrastructure problems or natural disasters? No! But he swears he is going to stop the woke agenda! Whatever the fuck THAT is! He’s already promised that, if Trump is convicted, he will pardon him. Yes! That is the way to get Trump votes!

Well, leading up to yesterday, there were promises made to the public, over cable TV and social media, that fifty thousand, enraged Trump supporters, armed with pitchforks and torches, would show up in Miami and tear down the federal court building! A contingency of Proud Boys had committed to come and beat up Left wing, counter-protesters. Militia groups were going to march, AR 15s at their side, ready to use them if provoked. They were to begin a second civil war in America!

So, what happened? All in all, about 250 Trump supporters showed up. It amounted to what looked like a Trump campaign rally in Montana. “Blacks for Trump” showed up, all 9 of them, though it was more like a low turnout for a tailgate party for the Miami Heat in the parking lot of Kaseya Center. The Heat just lost the NBA championship, by the way. I’m sure Miami is proud of their team.

The only action reported was that of a Baby Boomer “Woke” protester. He was wearing a 19th Century era, black and white striped prison uniform, and holding a sign that read, “Lock Him UP.” At one point, he ran in front of the motorcade to try and stop it, but Secret Service agents immediately pushed him aside and onto the ground. Miami police took him away in handcuffs.

In the end, Trump entered a plea of “Not guilty,” and then he and his team went on their merry way to a campaign rally at his New Jersey golf club.

The next time I go to traffic court, I want my own motorcade paid for by the taxpayers.

Events 5.25

567 BC – Servius Tullius, the king of Rome, celebrates a triumph for his victory over the Etruscans. 240 BC – First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 1085 – Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, back from the Moors. 1420 – Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ. 1521 – The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw. 1644 – Ming general Wu Sangui forms an alliance with the invading Manchus and opens the gates of the Great Wall of China at Shanhaiguan pass, letting the Manchus through towards the capital Beijing. 1659 – Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth of England. 1660 – Charles II lands at Dover at the invitation of the Convention Parliament, which marks the end of the Cromwell-proclaimed Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and begins the Restoration of the British monarchy. 1738 – A treaty between Pennsylvania and Maryland ends the Conojocular War with settlement of a boundary dispute and exchange of prisoners. 1787 – After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured. 1798 – United Irishmen Rebellion: Battle of Carlow begins; executions of suspected rebels at Carnew and at Dunlavin Green take place. 1809 – Chuquisaca Revolution: Patriot revolt in Chuquisaca (modern-day Sucre) against the Spanish Empire, sparking the Latin American wars of independence. 1810 – May Revolution: Citizens of Buenos Aires expel Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the "May Week", starting the Argentine War of Independence. 1819 – The Argentine Constitution of 1819 is promulgated. 1833 – The Chilean Constitution of 1833 is promulgated. 1865 – In Mobile, Alabama, around 300 people are killed when an ordnance depot explodes. 1878 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore opens at the Opera Comique in London. 1895 – Playwright, poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is convicted of "committing acts of gross indecency with other male persons" and sentenced to serve two years in prison. 1895 – The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Jingsong as its president. 1914 – The House of Commons of the United Kingdom passes the Home Rule Bill for devolution in Ireland. 1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching human evolution in Tennessee. 1926 – Sholom Schwartzbard assassinates Symon Petliura, the head of the government of the Ukrainian People's Republic, which is in government-in-exile in Paris. 1933 – The Walt Disney Company cartoon Three Little Pigs premieres at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" 1935 – Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks three world records and ties a fourth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1938 – Spanish Civil War: The bombing of Alicante kills 313 people. 1940 – World War II: The German 2nd Panzer Division captures the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer; the surrender of the last French and British troops marks the end of the Battle of Boulogne. 1946 – The parliament of Transjordan makes Abdullah I of Jordan their Emir. 1953 – Nuclear weapons testing: At the Nevada Test Site, the United States conducts its first and only nuclear artillery test. 1953 – The first public television station in the United States officially begins broadcasting as KUHT from the campus of the University of Houston. 1955 – In the United States, a night-time F5 tornado strikes the small city of Udall, Kansas as part of a larger outbreak across the Great Plains, killing 80 and injuring 273. It is the deadliest tornado to ever occur in the state and the 23rd deadliest in the U.S. 1955 – First ascent of Mount Kangchenjunga: On the British Kangchenjunga expedition led by Charles Evans, Joe Brown and George Band reach the summit of the third-highest mountain in the world (8,586 meters); Norman Hardie and Tony Streather join them the following day. 1961 – Apollo program: U.S. President John F. Kennedy announces, before a special joint session of the U.S. Congress, his goal to initiate a project to put a "man on the Moon" before the end of the decade. 1963 – The Organisation of African Unity is established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 1966 – Explorer program: Explorer 32 launches. 1968 – The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is dedicated. 1973 – In protest against the dictatorship in Greece, the captain and crew on Greek naval destroyer Velos mutiny and refuse to return to Greece, instead anchoring at Fiumicino, Italy. 1977 – Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is released in theaters. 1977 – The Chinese government removes a decade-old ban on William Shakespeare's work, effectively ending the Cultural Revolution started in 1966. 1978 – The first of a series of bombings orchestrated by the Unabomber detonates at Northwestern University resulting in minor injuries. 1979 – John Spenkelink, a convicted murderer, is executed in Florida; he is the first person to be executed in the state after the reintroduction of capital punishment in 1976. 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191: A McDonnell Douglas DC-10 crashes during takeoff at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, killing all 271 on board and two people on the ground. 1981 – In Riyadh, the Gulf Cooperation Council is created between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. 1982 – Falklands War: HMS Coventry is sunk by Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawks. 1985 – Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people. 1986 – The Hands Across America event takes place. 1997 – A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koroma. 1999 – The United States House of Representatives releases the Cox Report which details China's nuclear espionage against the U.S. over the prior two decades. 2000 – Liberation Day of Lebanon: Israel withdraws its army from Lebanese territory (with the exception of the disputed Shebaa farms zone) 18 years after the invasion of 1982. 2001 – Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, with Dr. Sherman Bull. 2002 – China Airlines Flight 611 disintegrates in mid-air and crashes into the Taiwan Strait, with the loss of all 225 people on board. 2008 – NASA's Phoenix lander touches down in the Green Valley region of Mars to search for environments suitable for water and microbial life. 2009 – North Korea allegedly tests its second nuclear device, after which Pyongyang also conducts several missile tests, building tensions in the international community. 2011 – Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her 25-year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show. 2012 – The SpaceX Dragon 1 becomes the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station. 2013 – Suspected Maoist rebels kill at least 28 people and injure 32 others in an attack on a convoy of Indian National Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh, India. 2013 – A gas cylinder explodes on a school bus in the Pakistani city of Gujrat, killing at least 18 people. 2018 – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes enforceable in the European Union. 2018 – Ireland votes to repeal the Eighth Amendment of their constitution that prohibits abortion in all but a few cases, choosing to replace it with the Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland.

Perez relieved to take Miami pole after enduring 'worst weekend up to qualifying'

Sergio Perez took his third career F1 pole position with P1 for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, and the Red Bull driver exuded relief and excitement after a dramatic qualifying session on Saturday. Perez took provisional pole while team mate Max Verstappen had to abort his first flying lap due to a snap of oversteer, which left the reigning champion scrambling to set another lap. Unfortunately for the Dutchman, Charles Leclerc spun off in the dying moments of Q3 and left the championship leader ninth on the grid for Sunday’s race. For Perez, it was a first pole position at a Grand Prix venue other than Jeddah. READ MORE: Leclerc spin leaves Perez in pole and Verstappen starting P9 for Miami Grand Pri “I think it’s been my worst weekend up to qualifying,” he said. “I just couldn’t figure out how to pull those tenths that I was missing all the time to Max and to the Ferraris. I was just re-setting everything. We did a small change into qualifying that really made everything became more alive. I think with this tarmac we were just playing a bit with the tools, and we put the lap in when it mattered.” This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences 2023 Miami GP Qualifying: Sergio Perez seals pole position in Florida The Mexican driver, who is just six points behind his team mate before Sunday’s race, finished 11th in FP1, fourth in FP2 and third in FP3 – while Verstappen topped the latter two practice sessions, plus Q1 and Q2, before falling to ninth on the grid. READ MORE: Verstappen comfortably leads Leclerc and Perez in final Miami practice session Perez said he was missing “everything” in his chase for pole. “It wasn’t coming together,” he continued. “It’s one of those weekends where I was struggling for balance, confidence. This tarmac is very sensitive to temperatures, so…” Perez shares the front row with Fernando Alonso on Sunday But, in a state with a strong Latin-American community, the crowd were clearly delighted to see the Mexican Red Bull driver on pole position. And, even though he's in a fraught intra-team battle for the championship lead, Perez said he was relishing that support. “No, I’m enjoying it," he added. "I’m just thinking race by race. I will go out… for my team because they’ve done a tremendous job and see what happens tomorrow. “Tomorrow is a new opportunity, starting from pole. We are the ones that have [something] to lose, but we will just go out there and try to enjoy this amazing crowd." via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

tvrundown USA 2023.04.12

Wednesday, April 12th:

(exclusive): 2023 GLAAD Media Awards (hulu, 34th annual ceremony), It's All Right! (dsn+, musical comedy special "Todo Está Bien"), Rennervations (dsn+, vehicle restoration series premiere, all 4 eps), Celeste Barber: "Fine, Thanks" (netflix, stand-up special), Smother-in-Law (netflix, season 2 available, all 10 eps), The Signing (netflix, next 3 eps, Latin music competition finale), "American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing" (netflix, two-part documentary)

(movies): "No Way Out" (Tubi, action-thriller, ~100mins), "Operation: Nation" (netflix, Polish comedy, ~95mins)

(streaming weekly): Ted Lasso (apple+), Schmigadoon! (apple+), The Big Door Prize (apple+), My Family (hulu), Call It Love (hulu, season 1 finale), The Mandalorian (dsn+, penultimate), The Challenge: World Championship (Para+)

(hour 1): The Flash (theCW, repeat), The Conners (ABC, repeat) /   / The Goldbergs (ABC), The Masked Singer (FOX), Survivor (CBS)

(hour 2): Riverdale (theCW), Abbott Elementary (ABC) /   / Not Dead Yet (ABC), Farmer Wants a Wife (FOX), House of Payne (BET) /   / Assisted Living (BET), NOVA (PBS, "Weathering the Future")

(hour 3): A Million Little Things (ABC), True Lies (CBS), The Ark (SyFy), Snowfall (FX, penultimate, 75mins), Digman! (COM), Dave (FXX, 42mins), Single Drunk Female (Freeform, season 2 opener, new night, 60mins)

(hour 4 - latenight): Hullraisers (IFC, 35mins), Tooning Out the News (COM, preempted)

[repeats, resuming in three weeks: Chicago Med (NBC), Chicago Fire (NBC), Chicago P.D. (NBC) ]