#corona open mexico

[g-de-granados]

The Reverend Daughter, Harrowhark Nonagesimus

Please tell me my Baby Jesus Gideon is cute.

(Español abajo)

I went to a museum and saw several paintings of Crowned Nuns. These nuns were depicted as such when they joined their congregations or when they died after living a remarkable life (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz has a posthumous portrait as a Crowned Nun). Now I headcannon our little ninth nun was painted like a crowned Nun, and a hallway of all the 311 Reverend Mothers painted as Crowned Nuns. I will make another post explaining the symbolism of crowned nuns and Harrow as one. I just needed to put my brainrot out in the open. Text in Spanish because it’s a current born in Mexico (Nueva España at the time).

Español:

Fui a un museo que albergaba una pequeña colección de Monjas Coronadas. Se les conoce así puesto que se retrataban monjas con corona al unirse a su congregación o al morir después de haber vivido una vida venerable (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz tiene un retrato póstumo como monja coronada). Ahora he decidido que es muy ad-oc que hayan pintado a Harrowhark como una Monja Coronada y me gusta imaginar un pasillo lleno de las 311 Reverendas Madres retratadas como monjas coronadas.Definitivamente haré otra publicación explicando el simbolismo de Harrow como monja coronada y los elementos con los que la dibujé. Solo quería lanzar este dibujillo a la luz.

#the locked tomb #harrowhark nonagesimus #harrowhark my beloved #harrowhark fanart #harrow the 9th #catholiscism #nun #im hyperfixating again #tamsyn muir #artists on tumblr #digital illustration #my art

[hausofmamadas]

| Always short to the gate |

⁂

Pairing: David Barrón & Enedina Arellano Félix

For my df, dear friend, and fellow writer @purplesong1028 - Candyhearts Exchange 2023

Word count: ≈ 7.8K

TWs: Canon-typical violence, descriptions of violence

✷Disclaimer - This is an AU version of Barron, to the point that mans is essentially my OC. So, for purposes of morality/sanity/all that is holy, we disregard Nmx - S3, ep8, Last Dance. For more details, refer -> here. On a similar note: if I have to say “not condoning/glorifying the real people” aka “I don’t sanction the real-life actions of drug cartels,” I implore thee, look where you are. You’re in the wrong place. Best take that elsewhere porque no hay bronca, for civility's sake, we will not be going there✷

Still, these were all things to wish for, not to have. What was left now? What if some things were better dreamt than done? David Barron is in love. He's in love and he does care who knows it. Particularly, if the brutal, savage cartel-boss brothers of the woman he loves, Enedina Arellano Felix, know it. But what’s he to do when he's taken by another powerful cartel leader, in retaliation for Dina's secret side-project moving coke across the Tijuana/San Ysidro border with fellow drug baroness, Isabella Bautista? In the face of a potentially more imminent death para su rayo de luna, can Dina afford to keep both him, and the business she built from the ground up, a secret?

⁂

So, this is it. I finally made it. Staring at the crowd, all the bigwigs laughing and clinking their champagne flutes, and now that I’m here, I can’t figure what all the fuss was about. Because in my whole damn life, I’ve never been to a party like this. Frankly, I’d sooner hit up a barbecue at Chato’s grandma’s trailer or a tailgate in Chicano Park, than show up willingly to a place like this.

The guest list is a family tree of Sinaloan-born narcos and an obnoxious who’s-who of Mexico City elites. Men come down from the ivory tower to grace all the thieves and plebes. Fat cats in pressed gray suits. Although, the champagne-glass pyramid is pretty cool. And somehow, this isn’t even as lavish as last year? At least according to Ramón. When we arrive, he explains that there was still all of well ... everything. But last year kicked off harder because Güero and Co rolled through with a life-size train and a tiger in a gilded cage. A fucking tiger.

“Pendejos only did it to kiss Miguel’s ass, que sean tan mamónes,” he growls, shooting a dead-eyed stare at Chapo across the lawn.

I laugh into the highball glass I’m sipping from. I don’t normally drink at events like this, and on the off chance I do, always a Corona with a lime ‘cause it reminds me of home. But thank you, no. I would not like to keep my tab open.

Except this time, the over-interested hostess practically forces a drink on me when we get there. No clue who she is either, except she must’ve been a high-roller herself or at least married to one, based on the obscene dress she’s wearing. Fuck if I know a thing about designer shit, but I can spot the difference between black-tie and fuck-you money. And I’m not in the habit of saying “no” to fuck-you money. Even if she is smiling and touching my shoulder too much.

My eyes wander, looking for Dina, brooding an invisible SOS into the night air, hoping she might swoop in and save me, but she’s nowhere in sight. Neither is Mín. I smack Ramón in the chest with the back of my hand. “Oye, dónde está tu hermana?” <'Hey, where is your sister?'>

He shakes his head.

The fuck did she go? The only reason I’m even at this glorified peacock-fest, and— oh wow, yeah, there are actual peacocks wandering around on the lawn by the lake. No tigers, but of course the night isn’t complete without some form of exploited wildlife. No, the only reason I’m here is because she asked me. Or rather, because of what came out when she asked me.

✺

Dina sat on Mín’s desk, legs dangled over the side, smoking a cigarette like always, and eyeing me slyly from across the room as I buttoned my shirt back up.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you?” I asked, readjusting my collar.

“What?”

“That it’s rude to stare.”

She threw her head back, laughing.

“Yeah, they must’ve had some lesson at whatever charm school you probably went to.”

Her mouth dropped open in mock outrage, “Charm school? No me digas esas shingaderas, hombre. I wasn’t as poor as you but we didn’t have that kind of money.” <Charm school? Don't give me that bullshit, man. I wasn’t as poor as you but we didn’t have that kind of money.>

I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth, “Ah, tu lo sabes? Tienes razón. <Ah, you know what? You're right.> Because the working-class shit I’ve heard outta your mouth?” and shook my head. “They wouldn’t have let you in the building.”

She snapped her fingers. “Sí, David. Now he’s getting it.”

“Well, then that would explain it.”

“Explain what?”

“Why you don’t know it’s rude to stare at someone like that.”

Her voice shot up half an octave into the range of feigned innocence. “Like what?”

“Like they’re dessert.”

“Es solo porque eres tan dulce. <It's just because you're so sweet.> Maybe I just can’t get enough. Maybe I have no choice.”

I looked up at her, smiling wide, all love-struck-stupid ‘cause I couldn’t help myself. “‘Can’t get enough,’ like you didn’t just get a three course meal.”

She kicked her heels against the desk, then hopped off and strolled over. I made a face when she flicked her cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. “Your brother’s gonna hate that.”

“Ya lo sé, y no me importa ni una mierda.” <Oh, I know and I don't give a shit.>

“Oh, sí? Pues lo haría tampoco <Oh, yeah? Well, I wouldn't either> pero the second he sees it, he’ll think I did it.”

Voice dropping just above a whisper, she came closer, “If he does, he can take it up with me,” and slid her hands under my shirt. “It’s as much mine as it is his. Maybe more even.”

They felt cold through the thin, ribbed fabric of my undershirt, gliding around my waist, creeping around to brush my lower back with her fingertips. At first, I thought she was going for my pant pockets, until her thumb hooked around the handle of the gun in my waistband. It startled me in spite of myself.

She smirked, practically presenting it, barrel pointed up at the ceiling. “Sorry, were you gonna need this? Or can we remove the ‘fire’ hazard.”

Taking the gun and grumbling, “You know there’s a safety, right,” I leaned over and set it on the filing cabinet against the wall.

When I turned my attention back to her, she tightened her grip around my waist suddenly and backed me up against the door. She tried bracing with her other arm so I wouldn’t fall back too hard. It didn’t work. A second thud, my head smacking the door, followed the first of it slamming shut. Still, the though that counts, right? My pained smile complemented a look of amused pity on her face.

Laughing, she winced and mouthed, “Shit, sorry!”

“So, this is how you treat your employee—“ she cut me off with a few well-timed, remorseful kisses.

She pulled back breathlessly, grinning, almost electrified. “Yeah, why do you think I took your gun away?”

“Mmm, yeah, would’ve been a hazard.”

“That, yes. But mostly I didn’t want you to feel like you were on the clock,” she murmured against my mouth, “this isn’t meant to be company time,” then caught my lower lip gently with her teeth.

I sucked in a harsh breath, not a chance in hell of suppressing the feral rumble already escaping the back of my throat.

It might’ve been fine. I might’ve been able to tear myself away, because we’d already been there too long, nevermind it was never long enough.

Until her lashes brushed my cheek and I heard, “Ah, how I love to hear you, guapo.”

My heart bottomed out in my stomach. I got ahold of the collar of her jacket on both sides. Rocking her back, easy and gentle, I slid it slow off her shoulders. Goosebumps followed the path of my fingertips across her neck, collarbones, down the backs of her arms. The metal buttons clinked against the floor. A bell announcing another round.

And all of a sudden, I couldn’t get at her fast enough.

I swept my arm around her waist, hand sliding into the curve of the small of her back, the other palming the spot between her shoulder blades to flatten her against me. If I could just bring her close enough for us to melt together and into the wood grain of the door, the better to freebase the air she breathed, the smell of her hair, the blood rushing to her face.

How many nights had I spent awake, staring at the cracked plaster ceiling of my cell, dreaming of moments like this. I’d lost count a long time ago. And okay, maybe not exactly like this. The feeling. The wholeness to it. But not the details. Like I never could’ve predicted the boxy radio with the giant antenna that played from its sketchy spot on the window ledge, too close to the edge; day in and day out while we worked. Or the way the sun lit the dust in the air like the office was an attic in an old house that wasn’t ours. And Dina, all nimble fingers now, working my belt buckle. No way I could’ve dreamt her up. She was too complete for that.

Still, these were all things to wish for, not to have. What was left now? What if some things were better dreamt than done?

Suddenly self-aware, I wondered what it’d be like if just now, she could feel that inferno of memories at the tip of my tongue, burning through my lips to hers. If she could learn, inhaling every breath I took, things I’d share without saying a word. I wished she could. Maybe that’s why her kisses were so urgent now. Sharp, demanding, like she couldn’t get close enough. Like she’d occupy the exact same space if she could.

Don’t hide. Let me in. Anything. Tell me anything.

She was funny like that. Didn’t even know how far she’d gotten. So much further than most.

Lips still locked to mine like cross examining a witness, her hands grazed my jaw, my neck, practically mauling the collar of my shirt to get the buttons undone. I should’ve known not to bother earlier. This was the way it went with us. Part of the ritual, pretending we were done. Getting ready to leave, all raw nerves in the afterglow. Anxious awareness, never far behind not-near-enough satisfied. Because no matter how careful we were, there was a chance we’d be caught all the same. But we were never ready. Not really. So, we’d stall enough to justify starting up again. Living in each other as much as we could. Wringing out every last drop to bottle it up, a fail-safe supply for later. Another bump, another hit to tide us over. ‘Til next time. If we got one.

She’d only made it two buttons down when we both froze. A crashing sound, loud echoes of metallic clanging. Fuck. Someone on the main floor. We repelled to opposite sides of the room before we could think long enough to be disappointed.

I fixed my shirt, then grabbed Dina’s jacket from the floor and tossed it to her. “You said no one was supposed to be here till tonight?”

She caught it, draping it over one arm so she could get her cigarette holder out of one of the pockets. Trying her level best to look composed, she took one out and lit up. But I could see the tells; beads of sweat on her forehead; that too-quick rise and fall of her chest.

Eyes wide, she shrugged, at a loss. “They’re not. Pancho’s with Món at the racetrack. Apparently betting against some new horse Güero and Chapo brought up from Mazatlán. Mín’s taking Ruth to one of her appointments.”

I walked to the window and looked out onto the main floor. It was easy to make out a head of black hair bobbing just beyond the giant, industrial-sized forklift, partially blocking my view. My eyes followed it along the top of the forklift’s arm until Nestor came out from behind it, puttering around and practically strangled by a few long chains from one of the trucks. He swore, dropping them again. Poor guy. The links jittering against the cement floor filled the warehouse with what sounded like twisted, metallic laughter. Mocking him. Us.

“Who is it?” She asked it like she wasn’t looking out the same window.

Without a word, I turned and walked back toward the door. She followed, “Pinshe Nestor, este wey &lt;Nestor, this fuckin' guy>,” waving her hand dismissively at the window.

I couldn’t resist. “Mmm right? Fuck that guy. Yea, go yell at him, chew him out, tell him why you’re annoyed.”

She narrowed her eyes but in that way she did when she was stifling a smile. When she knew I was right.

“You know, it didn’t occur to me until this moment.” Sighing and cupping my chin gently, she turned my face from side-to-side to examine it. “But I think I just realized why you’re so quiet.”

My eyebrow shot up, not a clue where she was going with this.

“It’s this smart mouth of yours,” she mused, grazing my lip with her thumb, “gotten you into too much trouble.”

I brought her hand from my cheek to my lips and hummed into her palm, “Mm, mhmm,” before nibbling a few besitos across. “Funny coming from you, always trying to get me to talk. But only when you like what I have to say.”

“Ay chulito pues, I didn’t say I minded it,” she winked. “Just not when it’s used against me.”

“Mm yea, don’t play that way. I’m an equal opportunity offender.”

At that, she laughed, eyes closed, full-out, no doubt loud enough to be heard on the first floor. Remembering Nestor, I let her hand drop but held onto the tips of her fingers. I couldn’t be sure how long we stayed like that, twining and un-twining our fingers in silence; every once in a while pressing palms together; two kids in the sandbox, comparing to see whose were bigger. If we’d never stopped, I wouldn’t have cared a lick.

Something must’ve hit her though because her face fell. Serious. Troubled. Thoughts descended in real-time, only I couldn’t make out what they were.

Until she breathed out, “Oye.”

It wasn’t like her to retreat but when I looked up, she said nothing else. Just chewed ferociously on the inside of her cheek. I waited, eyes drifting back down to watch our fingers and knuckles, still rhythmically locking and unlocking.

Breaking the silence, she gave it another shot. “Miguel’s party is on Saturday.”

“Yeah.”

There it was again, another retreat. What the fuck was she gonna say that she was so nervous to say it?

“And?”

It came out soft like a secret. “Go with me?”

Huh. Whatever I thought she might say, it sure as shit wasn’t that. Not … asking me to the dance? Disbelief chipped away at my usual poker face and without thinking, I blurted, “What? Why?”

Zero-to-sixty in four seconds flat and now she was fuming.

“Why? What do you mean ‘why?’”

Senseless. I knew it then. Should’ve walked it back. Found a better way to ask. But still, it was the only thing that came out of my mouth and all too matter-of-fact.

“I mean like ... why.”

Her jaw cocked to one side. She looked like she wanted to slug me. Because despite the fact that I wasn’t family, had never even met Miguel, had no business being there, somehow it was the dumbest question in the world.

“There’s—” I fumbled for words, raking my hand up and down the back of my head. “I just— why would I be there? You don’t need security. He’s the main man. No doubt he’ll have his own.”

“Because.”

“Because,” I shot back flatly.

“Because.”

“Think your brother, my boss, is gonna need more than ‘because.’ Even from you.”

“You’d be surprised.” She cracked a smile.

That’s right. Stubborn. Impossible. And she knew it. Like a reflex or muscle memory, my face settled into that thousand yard stare, the one she and so many others felt the need to decode.

She conceded, “Because. Okay?” throwing her hands up and letting them fall. They smacked her hips on the way back down and the rest came out in practically one breath. “Because even though he’s a genius and he’s technically family, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is the most insufferable man in all of Mexico. I can’t stand him and I can’t stand almost everyone else on that fucking guest list. Así qué quiero que estés allí porque ya todos los odio. Pero a ti te quiero. <So, maybe I want you there because I hate all of them. But I love you.>"

Wait, come again? She didn’t just— no, but she did.

Pero a ti te quiero.

“Oh.”

I turned around, fell against the door, pressing into it with my forehead, and didn’t say anything for a long time. Mind searching for an explanation: the timing, why now? What day was it? What date was it? What was different about now?

I’d woken up in the same bed in that cramped apartment just down the street from Parque Teniente, the first one I could find when I got to Tijuana months ago. Woken up the same damn person. As far as I knew, so had she. There was nothing especially extraordinary about today. If anything it was routine, sneaking into Mín’s office when we knew no one would be there, away from prying eyes: Alicia, Ruth, their mother, the gaggle of Arellano women who always seemed to be at the house. Away from Pancho, who’d made a habit of passing out, snoring until three in the afternoon, on the pull-out couch at my place.

In fact, the more I thought about it, the more it sank in how unremarkable the day was. Maybe something happened. Some earth-shattering event she hadn’t told me about yet, something that would explain the sentence that just left her lips and turned reality into something like the dimensions of a funhouse mirror.

Shit, how long had I been standing there with my head against the door? How long had she been waiting? No idea. Did it matter? Of course it did. This wasn’t something silence could solve. Or even put off. Not that there was anything to solve.

I turned back around to face her, half-wincing, anticipating her fury. A satisfied smirk had settled in the corners of her mouth. She wasn’t mad. Just leaned against the desk, puffing away, which was ... odd. I scanned her face for any indication, clenched jaw, flared nostrils, blazing brown eyes, some sign of impending apocalypse. But no, she looked serene. Smug even, tickled at how surprised I was. No, she wasn’t mad at all.

Oh.

And it hit me. I could see it so clearly now in the way she stood with her hip out and how she held her cigarette off to the side, wrist lax, nothing to worry about. Why she wasn’t mad. She knew there was nothing to worry about. This wasn’t a confession. No grade-school picking petals off flowers, ‘he loves me, he loves me not.’ She hadn’t said it in the hopes that in return, she’d hear the same. Because it was plain as day. Fucking obvious. Not a doubt in her mind.

It was funny too ‘cause that had been sealed away in a vault in some deep, dark corner of my mind, cordoned off by an electric fence, wrapped in several yards of barbed wire and caution tape. WARNING. POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS. I barely knew because I barely allowed myself to. That came easy as it always did. Or easier anyway than feeling and not knowing what to do, where to put it. So I barely knew. Maybe it was now that I only just realized it, in a fully-formed thought.

A ti te quiero también.

But it felt wrong, seemed to make the moment small somehow, if I were to say it out loud back to her. Forced for obligation, ceremony’s sake, and altogether pointless when she already knew.

So I just said, “Fine.”

Her eyes lit up, filled to the brim with, you really mean it?

“Yeah, fine, I’ll go.”

She beamed. My own personal sun.

“But you figure whatever fake reason to tell your brothers. I ain’t sayin’ shit.”

She squeezed my hand. Any tighter and it would’ve cut the circulation. Not quite the deliverance that launching at each other would’ve been, sweeping all the papers and supplies off of Mín’s desk, not giving a shit what broke as it hit the floor, buttons popping loose from my shirt and rolling on the ground as she tore it off, taking each other carnally hostage right there. But with Nestor still downstairs, it’d have to be enough.

✺

So here I am. And she’s missing in action.

A hand comes down on my shoulder. Ramón’s. “Mira nada más <Look what we have here>,” he chuckles pointing to Ms. Fuck-You-Money. “Esa chulita been eyeing you all night.”

I roll my eyes.

Món chokes out, laughing through a sip of champagne, “Ay qué duro, cabron. <Ey, tough fucker.> Good answer. Attention from a woman like that? That’ll get you killed, or worse.”

Lost, I shoot him a look of confusion.

“What’s the look for.”

“What’re you talking about?” I say shaking my head.

“Wait d— you don’t know who that is?”

I stare at him through half-lidded eyes.

He can barely contain his amusement and I could bust that Cheshire-cat smile wide open for it, the chistoso. See, ‘cause it’s something I’ll never understand but Ramón lives for shit like this. How many times I wished I felt the same or could at least access some similar well of couldn’t-give-a-fuck charisma that allowed the kid to cut loose, no matter where he went. Unless he was in one of his moods. Still, his glee is infectious if not foreign. So despite being miffed, I’m grateful he’s here.

“That’s— okay, that’s Miguel’s wife, Daniela.”

“Thought her name was like Marta? María? Something else?”

“Oh nooo, no, no, no.” Ramón jiggles his head back and forth. “That’s his first wife. This is his second.”

My eyebrows shoot up.

“Yeah, right?” Món shrugs. “Tío moves fast apparently. Upgraded to a new model already. Personally, I don’t get it. Should’ve stuck with the classic. And María,” he looks at me and whistles, “qué clásico.”

We both watch Miguel work a group of sleazy-looking politicians. I don’t need to be up close to imagine how badly they reek of too-expensive, tacky cologne, or how clammy their hands are, sweating because they’ve been mainlining too much sauce and blow. My eyes drift to Daniela who’s pointing around theatrically to the outdoor decor. Like her husband, she’s smooth-talking another group of guests.

That’s when it clicks. As she dances from a group of Senators, to a group of financial hacks, to a group of mid-level distributors, I can’t help but think how busy bees flit. Flower to flower, pollinating each one. Stroking the right egos, smiling, leaving a hand on a shoulder just long enough to make them think they might have a shot with the big man’s wife. From everything I’ve heard about Miguel, he might let them, for the right price. That fact fills me with equal measures of sadness and relief. Sad for her. Relief to know it’s a hustle, an award-winning performance. Though why she’s been wasting time on me, a friend of the Arellano family at best, low-level Arellano goon at worst, is anyone’s guess.

“Seems she’s like that with everyone.”

“Oh no, carnal. With you? That shit’s real. She knows you’re with us.” Ramón reaches for my face like he’s about to pinch my cheek. “Not some rich politician’s secret love child.”

“Ey, no mames, cabrón.” I swat it away with a smirk, so he knows we’re simpatico. “You and Pancho always fixin’ to get me in more trouble than I’m ever looking for.”

I think of Dina just then and how it’s possible for lies to lag like that sometimes. Feeling like truth ‘til the words are well outta your mouth.

As if anxiety’s summoned her to me, out of the corner of my eye, I catch Dina walking toward us. On her way over, she grabs a drink from a guy standing by the bar holding two champagne glasses, someone she mistakes for a waiter. Based on the beet red look on his face, he turns to be a guest. He flips out and at first, Dina looks ready to apologize and move on. No big deal.

It’s not until he starts pointing his finger in her face, “Qué verga, vieja? No soy un pinshe mesero <What the fuck, lady? I'm not a fuckin' waiter>,” that I glance at the ground to hide a smile. I know what’s coming but this poor bastard doesn’t. It’s always satisfying to watch Dina work, handling men who make mistakes like that. No doubt it’d be a scathing indictment but never done in the same way. Refreshing, that kind of variety. I always respected it.

She leans back, eyeing the guy up and down, then walks over, purposely slow, all the time in the world, to a real waiter holding a tray. Grabbing a new glass, she walks back and shoves it into the guy’s hand, taking extra care to make sure it spills on his jacket. Beads of sweat and outrage pour from him, as he looks down at his damp lapel in disgust.

She waves her index finger back and forth between them, “Listo, pues. Ya estamos? <Well, then. We good?>” and points at Ramón next to me. “Or shall I have my brother, Ramón—“ she waves, “Hi Món! Yeah, that one. The tall one over there. Shall I ask him to step in, help mediate the matter?”

Everyone’s eyes shoot straight to Món who, on cue, flashes a smile so diabolical, the devil himself would’ve tipped his hat in appreciation. Still fuming, the guy brushes the front of his jacket and straightens his collar but says nothing.

“Aye,” Dina punctuates with a dip of her head. “Eso es lo que pensaba. <Yeah, that's what I thought.>"

And that seems like the end of it until she a twenty out of her wallet in that impossibly tiny purse. “Ey, next party you go to, if you want to avoid being confused with the catering staff, maybe don’t wear a dinner jacket. It’s a nice house, sure. Not the fucking Met.”

The guy is mute, shocked as she slips the bill in his breast pocket and glides away. Even a few feet away, I can already see her rolling her eyes and giggling as she makes her way to us.

Ramón says, cackling, “I thought maybe you were going to ask for a bottle there, crack him over the head with it,” as she gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“No, no. We couldn’t embarrass our tío querido could we. Besides,” she gives a cavalier wave toward the guy, “Drastic measures like those are reserved for Chapo. Or Cochi.”

I look at the two of them standing with Güero on the other side of the DJ platform. They look like they’re enjoying themselves about as much as I am.

I make eye contact with Güero briefly before I feel another hand on my shoulder. Dina’s?

“What no hug for me?”

I catch her awkwardly with one arm, stiffening as she pulls me in too close and for too long.

“Woo,” Món hoots. ”Creo que Enedina ha tomado un poquito demasiado. <I think Enedina's had one too many.>"

She bats him in the arm. “Ay que no, if you’d had the conversation I just had with Mín, you’d be chugging this,” she knocks back the last few sips of champagne, then holds up the glass, “like water too.”

“Why? What happened?”

”Oh nothing, he just–“ she lets out a hefty sigh. “Just rolled over for Miguel like he always does.”

Before Món can ask anything else, Dina’s face lights up at someone behind him.

All drunk swagger, Pancho waltzes over, a drink in each hand, yelling, “Estos cabrooooones. I been looking all over for you.”

He sidles next to Ramón, who reaches for the other drink in his hand. He pulls back. “Qué shingadas? <What the fuck?> I didn’t bring this for you.”

Món pulls a face like Pancho just kicked over a sandcastle he spent hours building.

I hold my hands up in defeat, chuckling, “Ey I didn’t ask him to bring me anything. Knowing this pruno-king, I bet they’re both his.”

“Y esto? Esto es porque es mi compa. Él me conoce <And this? This is why he's my homie. He gets me>,” Pancho slurs, with a tipsy smile, eyes half shut.

“Qué pedo <What the hell>, is everyone drunk here besides me?” Món catches me smiling and rolls his eyes. “Tú no, rarito &lt;Not you, weirdo>. You don’t count.”

Glancing at the crowd around us, Pancho asks “Where’s Mín?” and stumbles back, nearly planting his ass on the lawn.

He grabs Món for support, who already looks startled as Dina shoves her empty glass at him. “Who cares? Yo quiero bailar,” she declares, grabbing my hand.

She yanks me with such force, I wonder if I look like one of those Loony Toons characters, a regular Beaky Buzzard swept offscreen by Bugs Bunny with a giant cane.

Behind us Pancho and Ramón are busting up laughing. “Panchito, I think she might be drunker than you are.”

Pancho holds up one of his drinks in salute. “Aaaaaayyy órale, mi brujita!”

My hand firmly in hers, Dina shimmies around the other couples on the dancefloor. When she finds a spot she deems satisfactory, she turns and snaps me towards her, gliding her hand up my right arm to my shoulder, and moving my left around her waist. I’m lost in static. My heart’s beating fast. Too fast, like a hummingbird caught all up in my chest and each beat of its wings jolts my rib cage, while it tries to jailbreak outta there.

And it’s not the proximity that’s got my blood up, really. It’s her. It’s rare to see Dina overflowing with this kind of reckless joy. So rare in fact, there’s a gravity to it, a pull magnified by irregularity, that makes it harder to resist. In tandem with the music, I’m goner, already falling into it. But what does any of it matter, when I know how she feels now. Just the same as me.

✺

We finish with a dip, and the blurry wall of lights and onlookers, among them the suspicious face of Mín, the curious face of Ramón, and the drunk glassy eyes of Pancho, become crystal clear again, as I bring Dina back up. The song changes and I let go, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. Making my way off the dancefloor, she follows close, reassuring in a low voice, “It’ll be fine, amor. They know I’m tipsy.”

“Yeah. And they know I’m not.”

Although— I look over at the bar. Fuck it, I could fix that now. Before we can reach Mín, Món, and Pancho, standing by the DJ booth, I tear through the crowd, right to the bar. Fuck any rules. This is Def Con One and that lapse in judgment could only be reasonably explained to the Arellano boys by both of us being shitfaced. I flag down a bartender.

“Shot of tequila.”

“What kind?”

I eye him coolly. “Whatever. Dealer’s choice.”

Willing myself not to be too twitchy, conspicuous, I glance around to make sure Benjamín hasn’t sicced Món on me. That look of disapproval on his face is going to be seared to the backs of my eyelids for days. Maybe weeks. Not a chance in hell that he’d overlook that display. As far as Ramón, who looked more intrigued than anything, jury’s still out. Might be he’d follow Mín’s lead. That is, unless Dina were to intervene, which– that’d be something she’d have to do. I’d never ask her. Not an option. That leaves Pancho who’s unlikely to give a shit. Or if he did, he’s too drunk now to make a show of it. But no, even sober, we’ve been homies through and through. He’d have my back. Maybe the only one.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Christ, all of it, already a fucking mess. It hasn’t spilled out entirely from my head onto the world, but only a matter of time.

A whistle from someone a barstool away interrupts the game of 3D chess I’m playing with myself, trying to compute then varying combinations of factors and events that could end me. I’m so in it, it takes me a beat to even realize they’re whistling at me.

“Ey, dónde aprendiste a bailar como eso? <Hey, where did you learn how to dance like that?>” someone asks quietly, in familiar but strangely-accented Spanish.

I turn to shoot a fuck-off stare to whoever, but when I’m met with the sight of an odd-looking, half-bald, ginger dude in jeans, a denim jacket, and a pair of Jordans that probably cost more than my first car, I’m taken aback by the expression on his face. Strange-like, fondly admiring, but more like he’s observing a zoo animal, exotic as those peacocks waddling across the lawn, than a person.

“Viene de familia.” <Runs in the family.>

All the odd guy says is, “Ah,” and then proceeds to fiddle with the toothpick in his mouth and survey the crowd.

Based on how he’s dressed, it’s clear this dude isn’t a regular guest. If I had to put my money on anything? Sicario. No question. Because even though he doesn’t have the trademark hyper-vigilance, coiled up tight, a piston ready to pop, the strange little homie does have a cracked look I recognize. Like he doesn’t need to be on-guard because he’s past the point of feeling much beyond general amusement.

I’d come up with a couple guys like this back home. Met even more of them in prison. You could tell who they were because they didn’t pretend to be concrete copies of themselves. Already born steel people, they never needed to bother with the mandatory, self-imposed identity mutilation necessary to survive in the Petri dish of the California Department of Corrections. But the most interesting thing about them? Scary as they could be, they’re also some of the more honest criminals I’ve dealt with. At least, those who’re murder-for-hire, not murder-for-fun.

Spotting the shiny, engraved handle of a pistol in his waistband, I whistle, “Nice, .357?”

He doesn’t take it out to show it off, just flashes a slinky, joker smile. “You got a good eye.”

“Likewise. Dope piece.”

Yeah, definitely more than your average muscle. The real pros don’t tend much to show and tell. But who the guy works for, I can’t figure exactly. Given that I had to give up my own weapon before we came through, I’m guessing he’s Miguel’s muscle. Looking over at a doorway filled with the broad shoulders and Fabio-like hair of Miguel’s top security guy, Tony, I try picturing these two working together and have to stifle a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Eh, it’s too hard— it’s nothin’.”

The strange homie responds with an amused snort but doesn’t press further. We go back to our mutual but silent surveillance. I can’t see the Arellanos anywhere, but I do spot the Sinaloa crew making their way to the exit by the bar. The weird little guy waves at them like they’re the oldest of friends. I nearly give myself whiplash, looking back and forth from Strange Homie to Güero and Cochi’s pained smiles and an outright look of disgust from Chapo.

“Those are the guys who brought the tiger last year,” Strange Homie helpfully explains, still waving.

“Man, everyone keeps telling me about that tiger. Guess I missed out.”

“You weren’t here last year?”

Still looking around for Ramón, I shake my head, stating absentmindedly, “Haven’t been to any kinda shit like this in my life.”

If Benjamín hadn’t already put him up to cutting me into little pieces, I would’ve at least expected Món to be hot on the heels of the Sinaloa crew, if only to berate, and harass, and swear at them as they’re leaving. And yet, he’s nowhere. Shoot, maybe Mín decided not to even bother chasing me down, and they just bounced. Left me there. Dina would be pissed but all things considered, I’d be getting off lightly. Compared to other possibilities. Could I be so lucky?

I turn my attention back to Strange Homie.

A jackal-like grin brightens his whole face. “Yeah, you did miss out. I got to feed it.”

“Big animal fan, huh?”

Strange Homie considers the question seriously as though it requires an answer, deep or existential in some way. But what he comes back with is relatively simple. “I guess, apex predators, yeah.”

“Easiest to relate to?” I joke.

The jackal smile back again as he exclaims, “Exacto!” Only this time, it bears sincerity that makes it more endearing than unsettling.

I raise my shot glass, saluting, “Makes sense to me.” An implied given what I know about you, unsaid in the air as I knock the shot back. Strange Homie likely knows, has probably been profiling my own profiling this whole time.

“So, you are not from around here?” Strange Homie ventures, as I catch the bartender’s attention to order another shot.

“From Guadalajara?”

Strange Homie shrugs and nods.

“Nah. You?”

He says with a knowing smirk, “Do I sound like I’m from Guadalajara?”

I shake my head, chuckling to myself. The bartender brings another shot and I put it away, perfunctory, then bite into the lime. It’s so sour, I feel shooting pangs in the sides of my mouth and tongue. The sensation of pain, concrete and tangible enough to focus on, brings me back to me.

I wipe my mouth and clear my throat. “You don’t sound like you’re from Guadalajara, but I got a few camaradas back home who sound kinda like you. Colombianos.”

“Good eye. Good ear,” Strange Homie notes, a hint of approval in his voice.

“The melting pot of America.”

“Ah, entonces eres un gringo?” <Oh, you're a gringo then?>

“Te has visto, hombre? De donde vengo, eres más gringo que yo.” <Have you seen yourself, man? Where I'm from, you're more gringo than me.>

I half-expect Strange Homie to be offended but he just snickers and nods in agreement. “Pues, tal vez tengas razón. Supongo que quiero decir que eres un gabacho.” <Well, maybe you're right. I guess I mean to say, you're a foreigner.">

“Close enough.”

“Well gabacho, un placer. Yo soy Navegante.” He reaches out to shake hands.

I extend mine tentatively, “David Barrón.”

As we stand there, forearms bobbing up and down slowly, a look of calculation and sorrow fills Strange Homie’s eyes. Something about it, and the way he says, “You seem like a cool guy. I wish we hadn’t talked so much.” I can’t quite put my finger on why it makes my stomach drop.

Fuck. Dina. Where are they. The Arellanos. Makes no sense. Been nowhere this whole time. Fuck. The empty spot where my gun usually sat in my waistband screams at me like a phantom limb. I try freeing my hand from Navegante’s, who holds on like a vice and laments, “I am glad you got those shots of tequila in though. Since we both know how bad this will hurt.”

My teeth grind into my lower lip so hard, I taste blood. And yet, it still does fucking nothing to ease the sting of surprise as the knife sinks into my stomach.

✺

Everything after that happens in slow motion. He must’ve carried me out at some point and anyone who saw me doing shots at the bar just assumed I was wasted. I don’t know how much blood I’ve lost. Enough that it feels like I’m moving through molasses when they chuck me in the backseat of that town car. Or is it a limo? The seats are facing each other like in a limo. Or maybe I’m molasses because of the booze. If not the booze exclusively, it definitely isn’t helping, blood thinning as it is. Fucking stupid. So stupid. In my life, had I ever been so stupid?

Although, I have to give it to Strange Homie— what was his name again? Navegante? — it’s been ages since someone got the jump on me like that. Since I was a kid probably. He’d been decent enough about it too, although I could’ve done without the stick in the gut. A few inches higher, he might’ve fractured a rib, but I might have more my full faculties. But no, this guy knew what he was doing. It’d landed exactly where he’d wanted it to.

Fingers wrestle with the tie at my neck, ripping it off, and it’s not until I bring it down to put pressure on the wound in my stomach that I realize those fingers are mine. The other courtesy Navegante had done? Strange Homie left the knife in. Although, whether that’s so I wouldn’t bleed out as fast or if it’s so he could further torture me by twisting it, is unclear. So much of it is unclear. I try going back, retracing every step leading up to the point I’d been stabbed but my brain’s stuck in quicksand. If I live to see tomorrow, I’ll have to take some kind of blood oath to never touch another drop of alcohol again. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Dina. Where is she. The Arellanos. They’d disappeared. Where the fuck was Dina. The panic, the cortisol, like a defibrillator at my chest, shocking me more awake, as I pack the fabric of my tie around the knife to soak up the blood. Forgetting myself, I reach behind for my gun and grumble at the empty spot where it normally is. Should be. Stupid. So. fucking. stupid.

I hear voices outside the car. No gun, no way out, no idea where anyone else is, where I am now, no choice but to accept it. So I just lean back against the seat, keeping pressure on my stomach and wait patiently for what’s to come.

When the door finally opens, I expect to be met with Strange Homie, Navegante’s jackal grin but instead it’s a taller man, a lot more normal looking, with dark eyes and a full head of hair. No one I recognize though and he’s someone I’d remember, considering he’s one of the most sharply dressed motherfuckers I’ve seen outside a movie. He slides in to sit across from me and grabs a file that had been laying on the seat next to him.

He reads from it calmly, soothingly business-as-usual. “I do apologize for the harsh introduction, Señor Barrón Corona. Navegante said you were nothing but gentlemanly prior to his stabbing you.”

I shift uncomfortably in my seat and on reflex, the muscles in my stomach clench around the blade. Like I’ve stepped onto the worst elevator ride, my throat feels like it’s in my head. Just blistering, white-hot agony. A jagged inhale drags down the back of my throat and I try not to pass out. “S’funny,” I cough out, “was just thinking the same thing.”

“Please know, this isn’t personal. Or rather, not for me. I suspect it’s very personal for your employer.” He looked up from the file, smirking. “Or I suppose, that’s the idea.”

My employer? The fuck was Benjamín going to be upset about? Me with a knife in my gut in the backseat of whatever big-shot, cartel guy’s car?

“Banking on the wrong strategy there,” I hiss through gritted teeth.

The man looks up from the file again, waiting for me to explain further.

“No love lost between my employer and me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

He says this with such assurance, it becomes apparent that this whole scheme, whatever it is, whatever game this guy’s playing, this shit is well above my pay grade. No point trying to outmaneuver when my head’s still in quicksand and I don’t even have the fucking rulebook.

“But you answer to the whole family, no?”

I roll my eyes and slump my shoulders, too tired to summon a real response.

“David Barrón Corona. From Logan Heights, San Diego, California. Says here you were born in Tijuana, but your parents are naturalized citizens. Which would give you—” he licks his forefinger and flips a page. “Ah yes, dual Mexican-American citizenship. Oh, your father was in the navy? Why does it seem the best sicarios come from military families. Someone should do a study.”

“Eh, eres un soldado either way.” <Eh, you're a soldier either way.>

The man smirks and continues reading. “Two brothers, one older Mateo Barrón Corona, deceased. And one younger, Alexander Barrón Corona, incarcerated, life no parole. And your mother— hmm, we don’t have much on her.”

I clench my teeth so hard, it feels like I have a charlie horse in my jaw. Willing my stomach muscles to relax, I ease off the middle console with my elbow to lean against the window and breathe out a, “Wow.”

The man takes out a cigarette and pops it between his lips, mumbling, “Qué?” as he lights up.

“Just— I dunno. Seems a lotta paperwork for somebody who’s nobody. Whose asset are you, DoD, CIA?”

The man shakes out his match and cracks a window on his side to toss it out. “Ah, see, but that’s the thing, David— may I call you David?”

I nod listlessly.

“David, do I seem to you like someone who’d waste so much time, go to all this trouble if you were a complete nobody?”

“Can’t say. We just met.” We’re well past politeness. I’m already bleeding all over this guy’s Oxford leather seats.

But instead of insulting him, he cuts up, laughing deep and full. “Funny, discerning—tonight’s little encounter notwithstanding. And from what I hear, an excellent shot, a competent sicario.”

I snort loud enough that he pauses to say, “What is that? False modesty? Don’t bore me before we’ve gotten started.”

“No. I am as good as you’ve heard probably. But that’s not the point.”

Dragging slowly from his cigarette, he brushes a bit of ash that’s fallen on his pant leg, then looks up, fixes his eyes on me, and says, “Enlighten me, then.” He’s the cat. I’m the ball of yarn. It doesn’t even matter.

“Any sicario worth a shit knows it doesn’t matter how good you get.“

“Why’s that?”

A gotcha-type smile spreads across my face for the first time in what feels like ages. “’Cause however good I may be, I’ll always be expendable. Guys like me are always short to the gate.”

And just when I think I’ve got him, for some reason, that warms up those cold brown eyes of his, as though I’ve proven his point more than my own. He bobs his head toward the window where Navegante stood guarding the car. “Well, that may be true of most in your line of work. But I asked my man out there, and he seems to think you’re good people. I’m putting together the picture of you, beginning to understand the appeal, what she sees in you.”

“Why. You hiring?”

“Oh no, no,” he chuckles lightly, “you’re of no use to me that way. No, the fact of the matter is,” then clicks his tongue against the inside of his cheek, “you’re right. Some are more expendable than others. But at the finish line, when death comes to collect, really, we’re all expendable.”

If this guy doesn’t reach some point, some punchline soon, I swear I’m gonna yank this knife out myself, happily bleed out all over the place just to reach some definitive conclusion.

”But here and now? To one with a little power and something I need? You David, are much less expendable than you think.”

The hell is he even talki— oh, fuck.

What she sees in you.

It echoes in my ears until it detonates, like pulling the pin on a grenade in my head, shrapnel ricocheting on the inner walls of my skull, just as I’m trying to piece it together.

My boss. Personal. Dina. You answer to the whole family, no? The guy’s practically been explaining it from the beginning. I’ve just been too dead in the head to make sense of it.

“Ah yes, there it is. And now that you’re caught up with the rest of the class, allow me to formally introduce myself.” The man places his hand on his chest, bowing his head. “I’m Pacho Herrera.”

Yup. This is above my pay grade. Way, way, way the fuck above my pay grade.

#narcos mexico #narcos mexico fanfic #enedina arellano felix x david barron #dinarron #enedina arellano felix #david barron #timeline divergence #also this is separate from my dinarron russian novel #but this place has everything #angst so mild a white man could handle it #smooching #stabbing #with KNIVES #forbidden love/secret relationship #seeeeeeeeeecrets #Dina - a woman who will actually pay to step on you #Barron - a man being accidentally hot at every turn for no good reason #Pacho - a sly and suave and snappily dressed mf with a plan #the most bizarre buddy-cop duo we didn't know we needed #like shit you not it makes no actual sense but somehow works?? #there's also dancing #during which you should bust out Spotify or Youtube or wherever tf #and put on a little ditty called 'Guajira del Mar' #to set the mood #to get the feel #to establish the Vibe #also to that one anon who likes dinarron stuff - here's a new thingy to feast on #until i get my shit together with the asslong novel i've been working on for them sksksjflkdajlsdkj

[noirhistories]

Welcome to Antioch, NICOLAS VERGARA ! Local sources report that you’ve been in town for TEN YEARS and are known to be OBSERVANT yet WITHDRAWN. Others have dredged up rumors that you’re involved in A HAUNTING IN ROSELAND as THE NEW OWNER, but most know you for your work as an ORGANIZER at DRIVE IN AND SWAP MEET. We’ll see you around town soon !

BASICS

Character Name: Nicolas Luciano Vergara Nickname (s): Nic, he doesn't really do nicknames. His ex might have gotten away with Nicky. Face Claim: Pedro Pascal Birthday: September 12th Place of birth: Corona, New Mexico, USA Zodiac: Virgo MBTI: ENTP Moral Alignment: Neutral Good Sexuality: Heterosexual Occupation: Event coordinator/manager (basically) Place of work: Drive-In and Swap Meet Subplot affiliation: A Haunting in Roseland 3 positive traits: Determined, loyal, social 3 negative traits: Stubborn, judgemental, bitter Languages: English, Spanish Love language: Words of Affirmation.

TRIVIA

Secretly has a pet alligator known as Este.

Biography

Born to his father's second wife, Nicolas has five older half siblings that he rarely saw growing up, as his dad left his first wife after growing tired of being 'tied down'. Although too young to know it, this was a scandal to both sides of Nic's family, as his dad's side saw it as abandoning his family, and his mother's side, an influential family in real estate, saw it as her marrying below her class.

With so much of his extended family upset at them, Nic never knew his grandparents or aunts and uncles, but he was never lonely. His father originally worked as a maintenance manager for a camp ground used to host regular flea markets/trade days, and Nicolas spent a lot of his time running around open fields and learning how to assist people early in life.

As soon as Nic was old enough, he started working a desk to take entrance fees, to set up booth slots, and to arrange for whatever the grounds needed. He loved the energy of it and developing the connection with the people, and he was young enough that it didn't even feel like work. But it didn't last. Eventually the event shut down, the park sold to be developed into something else, and the family moved.

That happened a lot while Nic was growing up, his family moving from place to place, his dad always finding a series of similar jobs, and Nic often volunteering right next to him. The longest the family ever stayed in one place was when Nic's dad got a job on a college campus that offered free tuition to the family of anyone working there. Thanks to his dad's dedication, Nic managed to go to college for free.

It wasn't a surprise when his parents hit the road again just a few short months after his graduation, but it was the first time Nic didn't go with them. Instead he went in his own direction, staying a few years here and there, but never setting down firm roots as he traveled.

He never stayed in one place for more than five years until Antioch, and even that was an accident. While there, he met someone and fell in love, he even got married and had a kid, but things fell apart after that.

For the first time in his life, Nic was in a place he didn't think he could leave, and all because there were people there he couldn't take with them. So Nic stayed, looking around for a house and making an effort to put down roots for the first time in his life. It was a joke that he ended up as the new owner of Roseland, all based on a quip that his name was so close to Walsh's, but it seemed like a good way to show he was serious about staying, that for once in his life, he wasn't thinking only about the temporary.

CONNECTIONS

Wanted Connection #1: His ex wife that he might still be carrying a torch for.

Wanted Connection #2: A confidante! Give him a friend that he can relax around and be honest with, someone that he trusts and that can break through his shell.

Wanted Connection #3: A mentee. This guy is a protective type, give him someone to stick under his wing and be a mentor to. Get those big brother/dad instincts going.

#chronicletask

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

SwRI leads airborne, ground-based 2024 eclipse observation projects

Eclipse events offer unique opportunities to study the solar corona

Southwest Research Institute is leading two groundbreaking experiments — on the ground and in the air — to collect astronomical data from the total solar eclipse that will shadow a large swath of the United States on April 8, 2024. SwRI’s Dr. Amir Caspi leads the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 experiment, a broad scientific outreach initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA, that will engage community participants to make a continuous 60-minute high-resolution movie during the April 8 solar eclipse. Caspi also leads an investigation that will use NASA’s WB-57F research aircraft to chase the eclipse shadow.

“Total solar eclipses are unique opportunities for scientists to study the hot atmosphere above the Sun’s visible surface,” said Caspi, principal investigator of both projects. “The faint light from the corona is usually overpowered by the intense brightness of the Sun itself. Total solar eclipses allow scientists to view the complex and dynamic outer atmosphere in ways that aren’t possible or practical by any other means, opening new windows into our understanding of the solar corona.”

CATE 2024 will use a network of 35 teams of community participants, or “citizen scientists,” representing local communities along the eclipse path, deploying a “bucket brigade” of small telescopes — from the Texas-Mexico border to Maine — following the eclipse’s shadow path. This next-generation project builds on the experience of the first Citizen CATE experiment in 2017, led by Matt Penn of the National Solar Observatory, which used 68 stations to observe the August 2017 total solar eclipse that crossed the continental United States. CATE 2024 expands the scientific objectives by measuring polarized light and engages with new teams across this year’s eclipse path.

Additionally, for the second time, Caspi leads a project to observe an eclipse with NASA’s WB-57F research aircraft. In 2017, he led the first solar observations using these aircraft, outfitted with telescopes mounted in the aircraft nose cone. In 2024, Caspi’s team will deploy a new suite of sensitive, high-speed, visible-light and infrared imagers, built by NASA’s Langley Research Center, to observe the corona during the eclipse at 50,000 feet. These high-altitude observations both provide measurements that can’t be made from the ground and avoid any weather-related risks. The WB-57F aircraft will also carry two other experiments, from the University of Hawaii and Virginia Tech, and Caspi serves as the mission scientist, coordinating between NASA and the experiment leads.

“Both projects will require an enormous effort and precise timing to get the data we need,” Caspi said. “I am honored to be part of such exceptionally talented and professional teams, and grateful for everyone’s dedication and hard work.”

Looking at complex motion in the solar corona, at new wavelengths and with new polarization measurements, will help scientists understand why it is so hot. The corona is millions of degrees Celsius, hundreds of times hotter than the visible surface below, which is a longstanding scientific mystery. The corona is also one of the major sources of eruptions that cause geomagnetic storms at Earth. These phenomena damage satellites, cause power grid blackouts and disrupt communication and GPS signals, so it’s important to better understand them.

“The airborne platforms guarantee perfect observing conditions, above any weather and more than 90 percent of Earth’s atmosphere, which can affect image quality,” said SwRI co-investigator Dr. Dan Seaton, who serves as the science lead for both projects. “Combining the airborne mobile data with the CATE 2024 hour-long string of observations will provide a more complete picture of the Sun’s mysterious corona.”

The SwRI-led airborne team includes scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research High Altitude Observatory, NASA Langley Research Center, and Predictive Sciences Inc., with collaborators at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The SwRI-led CATE 2024 project, funded by NSF and NASA, includes scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Solar Observatory, the University of Colorado, and the Space Science Institute, with collaborators at New Mexico State University and the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, community leaders at Rice University, Indiana University Bloomington, and the University of Maine, and over 100 community participants in 35 communities along the eclipse path.

TOP IMAGE....The SwRI-led team processed data from telescopes on WB-57 jets during the Chasing the Eclipse Project 1 in 2017 to help reveal key details about infrared emissions from the Sun’s corona. These wavelengths have only rarely been measured previously and may help us understand how the solar atmosphere reaches temperatures hundreds of times hotter than the solar surface. Credit Southwest Research Institute/NASA/Daniel B. Seaton

CENTRE IMAGE....Southwest Research Institute is leading two groundbreaking experiments — on the ground and in the air — to collect astronomical data from the total solar eclipse that will shadow a large swath of the United States on April 8, 2024. SwRI’s Dr. Amir Caspi leads the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 experiment that will engage a network of 35 community participants to make a continuous 60-minute high-resolution movie during the April 8 solar eclipse. Caspi also leads an investigation that will use NASA WB-57F research aircraft to chase the eclipse shadow. Credit Southwest Research Institute/Amir Caspi

LOWER IMAGE....The SwRI-led Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 project evaluated special cameras to measure the polarization of coronal light during the April 2023 total solar eclipse in Exmouth, Western Australia. In this image, the colors indicate the polarization or orientation of the light. The white features, called prominences, have no polarization. Credit Southwest Research Institute/Citizen CATE 2024/Ritesh Patel/Dan Seaton

#science #space #astronomy #physics #news #astrophysics

[momental]

Discover what's happening in the April 2024 issue! This includes:

A milestone achieved by NASA for engines to power future Artemis Missions.

The welcoming of 37 teams to the Magnolia Regional by NASA-sponsored FIRST Robotics Competition.

An annual update provided by NASA and Stennis Leaders.

Imagine it's 2044, 20 years from now. You're reminiscing about the total solar eclipse visible across the U.S. in 2024, wishing you had paid more attention to NASA's advice at the time. However, you suddenly realize, you still have a chance to catch the eclipse!

Rest assured, you haven't missed out on the total solar eclipse of 2024 yet. Mark your calendars for Monday, April 8, 2024, the last total solar eclipse to be seen from the contiguous U.S. until 2044.

This is a rare celestial event where the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely obscuring the Sun. Depending on where you are, you might witness the sky darken as if it's dawn or dusk, and even view the Sun’s corona, usually hidden by the Sun's brightness.

For more information about the eclipse, visit the NASA Solar Eclipse Guide at What to Expect: A Solar Eclipse Guide (nasa.gov). It offers details about the event, the best viewing locations, and safety measures.

Join NASA on April 8 and participate in this amazing exploration of the universe. The INFINITY Science Center, NASA Stennis's official visitor center, will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the day, offering a unique opportunity for solar science enthusiasts.

In other news, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and

NASA astronaut Christina Koch recently visited south Mississippi to witness an RS-25 hot fire test. She was accompanied by fellow NASA astronaut Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The trio, along with Wiseman, were chosen as the crew for the Artemis II mission, slated to circle the Moon in 2023 as part of NASA's ambitious Artemis program.

Meanwhile, the official mascot of NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Gator, continues to inspire and entertain. Originating from the site's early construction years, Gator now features on NASA Stennis certificates and awards and is a regular feature in the center's monthly newsletter, Lagniappe. To join the newsletter, contact the NASA Stennis Office of Communications.

In other news, NASA accomplished a significant milestone on April 3 with the successful certification of new RS-25 engines to power its Artemis campaign. The testing took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

At a recent NASA Next Gen STEM event, students discussed the crucial role of computer science in future missions. The event exceeded its scheduled time due to the volume of questions.

NASA Stennis Acting Director John Bailey recently addressed over 100 business and industry leaders at the annual NASA Stennis Space Center Director’s Community Briefing. He highlighted ongoing activities at the center and the future plans, including propulsion testing, autonomous systems, range operations, and federal city growth.

To learn more about NASA Stennis, check out the new overview video.

, the engaging video presented by NASA Stennis employee, Barry Robinson, showcased the diverse and talented NASA Stennis workforce. It was well-received by community leaders at the briefing. Bailey expressed her admiration for the video and its depiction of the Stennis team, stating, 'We could not do what we do without our employees, and we have some of the best in the world doing what we do for NASA.' The event also featured speakers from various organizations, including Hansel Gill from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, Jennifer Hailes from Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and Steve Heller from Evolution Space. Mark Glorioso, chairman of Partners for Stennis & Michoud, emceed the event. The briefing also highlighted the FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition, a science and technology event involving high school teams from eight states and Mexico, co-sponsored by NASA’s Stennis Space Center, NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project, and Mississippi Power.Cherie Beech, affiliated with NASA’s Stennis Space Center, acknowledged the opportunities provided by working at the facility. Relevant resources:

President’s NASA FY 2025 Funding Supports US Space, Climate Leadership – NASA

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: The Moon’s Moment in the Sun (nasa.gov)

New Look at NASA Boeing Sustainable Experimental Airliner

NASA Stennis Overview – Going Further

KSLA: NASA Gives Tips For Incoming Solar Eclipse

WLOX: NASA Stennis Associate Director Highlights Work at NASA Stennis

Take a look at the latest updates from NASA's Stennis Space Center. There's plenty of news to catch up on:

Check out WVUE's coverage of the annual State of NASA Stennis address.

Dr. Lauren Underwood discusses Stennis' first in-space mission on SuperTalk Mississippi.

WDAM highlights the FIRST Robotics Competition in Laurel.

Get the latest on NASA Stennis from Associate Director Rodney McKellip on SuperTalk Mississippi.

WVUE reports a successful test of a massive new rocket engine at Stennis Space Center.

Learn about the recently completed engine certification tests from Sun Herald.

WLOX covers the final RS-25 engine test that sets the stage for Artemis space missions.

Find out about the RS-25 Space Engine testing at Stennis Space Center on WXXV.

Catch up on NASA's final test firing of engines at Stennis Space Center on WJTV.

Watch NASA's final engine test for Artemis V reported by Associated Press.

Learn how solar eclipses are predicted on WWL-TV.

The monthly publication Lagniappe is brought to you by the Office of Communications at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. They can be contacted at 228-688-3333, or via email or mail.

The publication team includes Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

To subscribe to Lagniappe, please email the following to

For further information, reach out to NASA's Office of Communications at [email protected]. Don't forget to provide your name and location (city/state).

Source Link: Lagniappe for April 2024

[brookstonalmanac]

Beer Events 11.13

Events

Giuseppi Doti patented a Beer Pipe Cleaner (1917)

Corona 1st bottled (Mexico; 1925)

Manhattan Brewing 1st released their beer in cans (1935)

Aloysius Feit and Sydney Weisberg patented a Bottle Filling Apparatus (1956)

Guinness patented a Method of Dispensing Liquid (1962)

Gary German patented an Insulated Beer Keg Cooler (1984)

Samuel Adams Boston Lager passed the Reinheitsgebot (1985)

Archeologists discovered 3,800-year old cuneiform tablets containing a beer recipe in northern Syria (2002)

Christopher Wheaton and Courtenay Simon patented a Dispensing Valve Assembly for a Beer Keg (2003)

Breweries Opened

Pittsburgh Brewing (Pennsylvania; 1861)

Brauerei Fischerstube (Switzerland; 1974)

Union Colony Brewery (Colorado; 1993)

Empire Brewing (New York; 1994)

#Events

[calistaxoxo]

Fact About Identity/Background

One thing I am most proud of is my cultural and where my family comes from. Both my mom and dad’s side of the family are from Mexico, and we still have some family that currently lives out there. I come from a huge family of entrepreneurs (mainly from my dad’s side), my grandpa had a business, my uncles had one, and my dad currently has two. My grandpa started the chain when he was younger and had a food business in Mexico. It is not there anymore, but we still have a grocery store that was also started my grandpa in Mexico. My dad carried that to here in the United States. When he was around late 20s, he opened up a meat market/grocery store in Norco, CA. It grew very successful, and that is when he decided to open up a restaurant. 

My grandma was the cook in the family. All her recipes were so good, every family dinner we would all be looking forward to her cooking. She passed down the cooking torch to my dad, he had all her recipes and I would say he is equally as good of a cook. Furthermore, my dad was very determined to start a Mexican restaurant that as soon as he find he spot, he began working immediately. It was a long process with all the licenses, working with the city, and inspections but eventually he got everything to pass. He was finally able to open the restaurant in July 2020, which was another struggle itself because it was during covid, but he managed. The restaurant is called Tacos Al Fuego and is located in Corona, CA. It has authentic Mexican food, most of them being my grandmas recipes! This business did so good, that my sister and my dad recently opened another Tacos Al Fuego in Riverside, CA. The goal is to make it a chain! My sister is being passed down the business so she can keep it going. I sometimes help her, and she actually wants to open one up in LA near UCLA so I can help her run it. Overall, I am very proud of my family and everything they have accomplished and I hope to run a business with my sister one day. 

[bopinion]

2023 / 27

Aperçu of the Week:

"We are leaving a trail of devastation through the earth with our daily lives."

(Robert Habeck, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and Vice Chancellor of the Green Party)

Bad News of the Week:

Last week, the planet endured its hottest week since weather records began. Which stupidly means not only ice cream in the outdoor pool, but stress for the planet with all its creatures living on it. Which includes humans. Already last year there were more than 60,000 heat-related deaths in Europe. Only in humans, fauna and flora not included. All creatures suffer the same, they just don't have a lobby that presses sad numbers into the news.

And what do we learn from this? Apparently nothing. Because also last week there were various other news that show the unwillingness of mankind or their (mostly) elected representatives to respect creation. First, there is the continuing loss of rainforest. According to the World Resources Institute, 4.1 million hectares of tropical rainforest were destroyed in 2022. That's the size of Switzerland. Or more graphically: every single minute, tree cover equivalent to eleven soccer fields was lost, mainly in the Congo and Brazil.

Then a decision was made in Brussels that could call into question the entire "Green Deal" of the European Union. Because the Environment Committee surprisingly rejected the renaturation law (EU law for the restoration of nature). The background: the conservative EPP group sees the interests of commercial agriculture threatened, as it was when the pesticide ban was prevented. Now the group leader Manfred Weber (from Bavaria, I am a little ashamed) has pushed through a total blockade. Whether the EU Parliament will still pull the emergency brake here in its session tomorrow, the last before the summer break, is unfortunately unlikely.

Finally, a deadline for regulating deep-sea mining passed on Sunday. Norway has already announced its intention to release large areas off its own coast. Now this is open to international waters as well, theoretically as of now. One example: in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, many so-called manganese nodules lie at depths of thousands of meters. These are mineral aggregates that are particularly rich in valuable metals such as copper, nickel and cobalt. The responsible authority - International Seabed Authority / ISA - will hardly immediately throw permits around and is supposed to regulate the mining also under environmental aspects. But that man will now also intervene in the last, previously untouched ecosystems, fills me with chills.

Good News of the Week:

A coalition of several parties is always an alliance of convenience. They come together because that's what the election results want. A basic minimum consensus is then laid down in a coalition agreement. This agreement should then be adhered to. This also applies to the current German governing coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals. But that doesn't mean that this agreement is complete. After all, it's hard to foresee the day-to-day political issues for a legislative period of four years. Or a Russian war of aggression, which has led to fundamental upheavals in almost every policy area. Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls this a "turn of the times."

This turning point includes various financial burdens that could not have been foreseen. From special funds for the modernization of the military to cushioning increased energy costs to support for Ukraine. And all this at a time when people, economy and state were still trying to recover from the Corona pandemic and its distortions. So the so-called "debt brake" was suspended in order to regain sufficient liquidity. Now, Finance Minister Christian Lindner is insisting on achieving a balanced budget again as quickly as possible, without incurring new debt (yes, dear USA: that's possible). And he is calling for savings across all departments.

Of course, there is now a lot of whining. Because - hardly surprisingly - no minister sees corresponding savings potential in his area of responsibility. But it doesn't help. And of course the "negotiations" are not taking place in a confidential meeting behind closed doors, but in and via the media. Take the example of the Ministry of Family Affairs. One proposal from Lisa Paus, the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, was to eliminate parental allowance for high-income families with annual incomes of 150,000 euros or more. New parents who stop working after the birth in favor of the child are reimbursed for their lost earnings for 12 to 14 months, up to a maximum of 1,800 euros per month, as a transfer benefit. It is doubtful whether this family would be impoverished by losing a maximum of 25,200 euros. After all, there is still child benefit, etc.

As an alternative (after all, this proposal went unpopular "against families") then, among other things, the deletion of the spousal splitting was discussed. This joint tax assessment of married couples (even without children) deprives the state of 20 billion euros a year. And it is primarily top earners whose partner now works little or not at all who benefit. This is an outdated role model from the time when the man went to work, the woman stayed at home and single parents did not exist. Exactly: it was introduced in 1958. I find that refreshing. A public discussion about the distribution of wealth. In which even seemingly self-evident things are put to the test to see whether they are still in keeping with the times. And fair. Supporting families and children? Yes, no question. Rewarding marriage without a family? Why, actually. Our society has changed fundamentally in the last 65 years. It's time to rethink.

Personal happy moment of the week:

I actually have a certain selection in the last week. On Monday, I had a pleasant reunion with colleagues from another location in the beer garden. On Tuesday, I went to the cinema with my son - overdue since Christmas - and we even managed to agree on a movie, "Spider-Man across the Spider-verse". On Thursday I was with my daughter at a double event of her university student body. And yesterday with my wife and friends at a concert: Italy's superstar Zucchero open air directly at Lake Constance. As part of a weekend trip (which is why this blog is late) on the hottest weekend of the summer so far. Hard to decide...

I couldn't care less...

...about so much nonsense I had to perceive in the last days. Example "hot dog eating contest": the perennial winner of the last years Joey Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes in New York City. Reading this news and commenting briefly here cost me ten minutes of valuable life time. Too bad.

As I write this...

...we have been chasing a fly for hours. The annoying critter buzzes around everywhere and hides as quiet as a mouse as soon as you approach with the fly swatter. It's probably a gang of flies following a precise plan. This could become an exciting night.

Post Scriptum

I don't like some songs that are always in the rotation of radio stations. Probably that's why I listen to the radio at most randomly and only while driving. It's especially bad in the run-up to Christmas, when the same seasonal all time favorites are played every year. Which are not favorites with me at any time. Especially "Last Christmas" by Wham! is a reason for me to change the frequency. Until now. Because in the Netflix documentary about the British pop duo of the 80s, which my wife insisted on watching, I learned an interesting detail.

George Michael was sure he would have scored a #1 hit with it by the end of 1984. And then suspected, when he took part in Bob Geldof's "Band Aid" project and their single "Do they know it's Christmas time?" in the same pre-Christmas period, that it probably wouldn't. And what did he do? No, he didn't sulk, but donated all his earnings from the first year to the project, which was dedicated to fighting hunger in Eritrea. Fine, I think that's good. But now that this "earworm for the ages" is already annoying me in its 39th year, I will continue to switch off. Because I care much less about Michael's heirs than about the starving children of Eritrea.

#thoughts #aperçu #good news #bad news #news of the week #happy moments #politics #robert habeck #planet earth #climate change #heat #rain forest #mining #renaturation #coalition #germany #national debt #society #zucchero #lake constance #joey chestnut #Hot Dog #fly #christmas #wham #band aid #spider man #family #ocean #agriculture

[whatsonmedia]

Behold! 3 Best Music Festivals of Summer 2023

With the rapidly rising heat, music fans are getting more and more excited about the upcoming summer music festivals, and undoubtedly the season is filled with them. That's why, we are here with our picks of 3 best music festivals of summer 2023 so you don't get left behind on all the fun. What's more, we will discuss everything you need to know about these music festivals to find you just the right one. So stick around for a while and get ready to hop on the crazy ride. Summer Breeze Music Festival Brazil When and where> 29th and 30th April at Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil. Let's start this list with something really special for all my fellow metalheads! Shall we? Summer Breeze is a world renowned open air metal festival and it is expanding to Brazil this summer. Even more, the music festival is a home to many of the greatest names in metal and hardrock genres along with the craziest crowd on the planet. So there will be super energetic performances, music louder than hell, and a whole lot of headbanging for two whole days. On top of that, a very strong lineup of around 40 metal bands are all set to bring the heat this year and around 15,000 fans are expected. So if you are ready to embrace your inner wilderness and dive headfirst into the tremendous mosh pits then book your tickets now! Lineup> Lamb of God, Kreator, Sepultura, Blind Guardian, Testament, Stone Temple Pilots, Apocalyptica, Napalm Death, Krisiun, Skid Row, and many more. Electric Daisy Carnival - Las Vegas 2023 When and where> 19th to 21st May at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, USA. Up next, we have this majestic music festival to serve you an experience of a lifetime. Electric Daisy Carnival or simply EDC is one of the largest dance and music festivals in the world that takes place in several countries on several continents. However, EDC Las Vegas is the flagship event for this global festival series over the last 25 years. What's more, the festival proudly offers the very best production and a magnificent lineup of EDM and electronic musicians every year. On top of that, you can experience mind-bending interactive art installations, along with meeting dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers, and many more. Around 130,000 audiences will be joining the event including both locals and tourists. So don't miss out on this extra special one. Festival Corona Capital Guadalajara 2023 When and where> 20th and 21st May at Arena VFG, Guadalajara, Mexico. Lastly, we have one of the largest and most anticipated music festivals in Latin America. Corona Capital started its incredible journey in 2010 and established itself as the most important international music festival in Mexico over the years. What's more, the music event is known for covering a whole lot of genres and bringing together renowned international artists as well as emerging new talents. Around 25,000 fans will be joining this music event to witness the stunning performances by this year's fabulous lineup. So go for it for all its worth. Lineup> Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers, Charlie Puth, Pixies, Interpol, Bloc Party, Bastille, Rosin Murphy, Foals, and many more. If you liked our list then you should also check out these splendid music festivals we covered last week. Adios! Read the full article

[courtneycarrabino]

Corona/Modelo and Heineken

Modelo's marketing messaging for Corona in the US was largely centered around an experience, more specifically the "vacation" experience. As the case explains, this largely started because of the states bordering Mexico where sales first launched, but I think it continued to be successful for two main reasons. The first reason is that they focused on keeping the Corona brand as authentic as possible, in the sense that they tried to keep it tied to Mexico as much as possible. As an imported beer, part of its allure was that it was not an American brand. While Mexico wasn't thought of as a traditional beer importer, consumers could resonate with the idea of a fun beach vacation and having a refreshing, easy-to-drink beer that supported that type of experience. To maintain the authenticity of Corona being a Mexican beer, I think it was smart that Modelo decided to not open a bottling facility in the US, but rather partnered with distributors, so that they could maintain the claim of being a 100% Mexican-produced product.

A second reason why I think their marketing worked (although there were some hiccups in sales due to other factors) is because they kept campaigns simple by maintaining consistent messaging and not using marketing or advertising to combat rumors. Targeting ads towards fending off rumors can be a slippery slope, and instead of diluting their messaging, they handled a lot of those rumors by traveling to affected areas and addressing concerns through in-person meetings. I am sure that was costly and time-consuming, but it enabled Corona to maintain a consistent narrative in their marketing and it showed personal attention to perceived issues with their product. In contrast, Heineken struggled to find their footing with marketing, and changed their messaging many times over in the 90s trying to find something that would resonate with consumers.

#2023MITSloanBrandingSB

[informationandcommunication]

Commercial Roofing Materials Market – Forecast (2021-2026)

Commercial Roofing Materials Market size is forecast to reach US$ 14.2 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 6.1% during 2021-2026. Globally, the development of efficient and advanced technology in roofing materials, and increasing popularity of environmental friendly roofing technologies is driving the demand for commercial roofing materials market. Also, rising demand for single-ply roof membranes such as thermoplastic polyolefin, ethylene propylene diene monomer, and polyvinyl chloride, owing to its cost-effective fast-track construction and lightweight in commercial roofing is anticipated to drive the market growth. Furthermore, the increasing usage of spray polyurethane foam in construction renovations & remodeling activities will upsurge the growth of the commercial roofing materials industry in the forecast period.

Impact of Covid-19The COVID-19 outbreak wreaked havoc on the commercial sectors, posing significant economic challenges. As a result of the government's strict steps to slow the spread of the corona virus, construction production growth slowed, creating widespread concern and financial distress for the commercial roofing materials industry. Several ventures remained incomplete as a result of a shortage of funding. The ongoing construction activities also faced challenges such as supply chain disruption, a shortage of subcontractors and materials, and contract terminations to cut costs, all of which slowed the demand of the commercial roofing materials over the forecast period.

Report Coverage

The reports: “Commercial Roofing Materials Market Report – Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the commercial roofing materials market.By Material Type: Single-Ply Membrane Roofing (Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO), Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), and Others), Spray Polyurethane Foam Roofing, Metal Roofing, Shingle Roofing (Asphalt Shingles and Architectural Shingles), Solar Panel Roofs, Built-Up Roofing, Modified Bitumen Roofing, Green Roofing, and OthersBy Roof Type: Low Sloped Roofs, Flat Roofs, and Pitched RoofsBy End Use: Commercial Buildings (Office, Hospitals and Healthcare, Educational Institutes, Hotels and Restaurants, Banks and Financial Institutions, Airports, Hyper and Super Market, Shopping Malls, and OthersBy Geography: North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, and Rest of Europe), APAC (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Rest of Asia Pacific), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Rest of South America), and RoW (Middle East and Africa)

Key Takeaways

The Asia-Pacific region dominated the commercial roofing materials market owing to the increase in adoption of commercial roofing for application in newer industrial vertical and emerging economies such as China, India and others.

Rising investments in the renovation and construction of social infrastructures such as hospitals, government offices, educational buildings, and correctional facilities is estimated to drive demand for commercial roofing materials in the forecast period.

The rapidly expanding use of roofing materials in the construction of energy efficient buildings such as green buildings is projected to present enormous market opportunities for the growth of the market.

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Commercial Roofing Materials Market Segment Analysis - Material Type

Spray Polyurethane Foam are extensively used in the commercial roofing materials market. SPF is most commonly used to re-roof existing buildings in the commercial sectors. Although SPF is hardly a new commodity, both open-cell and closed-cell foam applications have continuously evolved, as construction teams are capable of improving energy efficiency, internal comfort and reliability in all kinds of constructions. Also, SPF insulation is commonly considered environmentally friendly, particularly as an efficient thermal and air insulation because of its outstanding energy efficiency benefits. The production and use of these goods is often done by a zero ozone depletion mechanism that does not overly impact the outdoor environment. Thus, it is anticipated that the rising demand for spray polyurethane foam in commercial roofing activities will upsurge the growth of the market in the upcoming years.

Commercial Roofing Materials Market Segment Analysis - Roof Type

Commercial flat roofs held the largest share in the commercial roofing materials market in 2020. Commercial flat roofs is highly preferred as it is more cost effective to build than pitched roofs or steep slope roofs because they require less material due to the fewer square feet to be covered. Roofing materials such as thermoplastic polyolefin, ethylene propylene diene monomer, and polyvinyl chloride owing to their durability and high quality are increasingly used in flat roofs. Since flat roofs are smoother and faster to build, it can lead to considerable savings for the construction owner, which often adds to the convenience of the next commercial renovation of the roof. Also, owing to the reflective properties flat roofs help reduce energy waste from cooling costs. Thus, due to the above-mentioned properties, the demand for commercial roofing materials in flat roofs is anticipated to rise over the forecast period.

Commercial Roofing Materials Market Segment Analysis - End Use

Office building held the largest share in the commercial roofing materials market in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 2021-2026. The roof of an office is an important building structure, as it offers protection and enhances the attractiveness of the building. The major factor driving the demand for roofing materials for commercial purposes is increased government and institutional funding for the construction of buildings in emerging economies. For instance, the W&W Group announced that they are investing in the Kornwestheim site in Germany and are planning to build seven office buildings with courtyards by 2023. Thus, with the growth of new office buildings the commercial roofing materials market is anticipated to rise in the upcoming years. The other key factors driving demand for commercial roofing materials include increasing use of roofing products in the construction of green buildings as well. In addition, advanced commercial roofing products are demanded at an increasing rate because they are thought to have comparatively lower environmental impact. Increasing investments by major technology firms such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon in the construction of data centers are also projected to favorably impact the future demand for commercial roofing materials market.

Commercial Roofing Materials Market Segment Analysis - Geography

Asia Pacific held the largest share with 42% in the commercial roofing materials market in 2020. Rapid increase in the commercial construction activities has raised the demand for commercial roofing materials in this region. Moreover strict government regulations to boost building energy performance, increased durability, easy installation and increased urbanization in developing countries such as China, India, and Japan have raised the growth of the market. Building industry is expected in China to rise by 5% on an annual average in real terms between 2019 and 2023, according to the International Trade Administration. In addition, the Japanese government is working with private firms to implement new building technology in the construction sector, using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), according to the Government of Japan. Thus, it is anticipated that with the rising growth of commercial buildings in Asia-pacific region the market for commercial roofing materials will also upsurge over the forecast period.

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Commercial Roofing Materials Market Drivers

Increasing use of metal roofing in commercial buildingsMetal roofing systems in commercial buildings are by far the most common method of roofing. Owing to its high durability it has become the most preferred roofing material for commercial buildings. Also, these roofing materials are recyclable and when color coated can be very attractive compared to shingles. Metal roofing is easier to clean and keep their appearance over time although they are more costly than asphalt roofs. Metal roofing systems suppliers pre-coat the metal with almost every possible coating. There are various options such as waterborne acrylic coatings, solvent-borne aluminum, rubberized aluminum, solvent-borne styrene-ethylene butylene styrene (SBS), polyurethane and various others, for the coating of metal roofing systems. Thus, the growing demand for metal roofing due to such properties is anticipated to boost the commercial roofing materials growth over the forecast period.Rising commercial construction activitiesThe growing commercial construction activities across various regions are estimated to drive the market demand for commercial roofing materials. The high demand for roofing goods and the rising need to refurbish and rebuild old buildings and monuments is expected to drive the global commercial roofing materials market growth. Also, upsurge in new construction activities is anticipated to raise the growth of the commercial roofing materials market over the forecast period. According to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, commercial construction in India is rapidly expanding, at more than 9% per year, largely driven by strong service sector expansion. In 2030, the nation is expected to already face a situation that varied radically from developing countries in more than 50% of the building stocks that would remain. Also, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the value of non-residential buildings (US$4,110.8) rose by 27.5%, to the highest level in four months as of March 2021. Thus, with the rapid expansion of several commercial construction activities the market is estimated to rise in the projected timeframe.

Commercial Roofing Materials Market Challenges

Effects of roofing materialsThe initial cost of various roofing materials is typically higher than that of other commercial roofing materials. Thus, resurfacing worn-out roofs takes a significant amount of time, energy, and resources, which affects the growth of the market. Additionally, climate change can have a huge effect on the roofing materials quality. Some materials, for instance, are unable to endure intense heat and ultraviolet radiation from sunlight but are easily damaged by repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Bituminous shingles can get damaged if they are installed during freezing temperatures and since they are not of top quality, they are more prone to wind lifting and can quickly break at varying temperatures. Moreover, the toxic emissions produced while the manufacturing of roofing materials such as spray polyurethane foam is also considered one of the major factors restraining the growth of the market. Thus, due to the above-mentioned factors the market for commercial roofing is anticipated to face hurdles in the forecast period.  

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Commercial Roofing Materials Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in commercial roofing materials market. Major players in the commercial roofing materials market are Roofscapes Inc., Atlas Roofing Corporation, Genflex Roofing Sytems, Braas Monier Building Group, Etex, Boral Ltd., LafargeHolcim, TAMKO Building Products, Saint Gobain SA, Johns Manville, and Carlisle Companies Inc among others.

Acquisitions/Technology Launches

In January 2021, LafargeHolcim has announced the acquisition Firestone Building Products (FSBP), a US-based leader in commercial roofing and building envelope solutions (US). This acquisition will help the company, LafargeHolcim to become the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

Relevant Reports

Roofing Market

Report Code: CMR 1054

Residential Roofing Market

Report Code: CMR 0552 For more Chemicals and Materials related reports, please

click here

#Commercial Roofing Materials Market #Commercial Roofing Materials Market Size #Commercial Roofing Materials Market Share

[dazedpompay]

After the recent release of her full-length Beatopia, beabadoobee has announced a North American headline tour with support from Dirty Hit labelmates Lowertown. Kicking off on October 25 in Washington, D.C., the 28-date run will see Bea come to major cities coast to coast including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, and more. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 22, at 10am local time.

The album features recently released track “Sunny Day,” a carefree, breezy hit of dopamine inspired by Bea’s love of early-2000s pop artists like Nelly Furtado and Corrine Bailey Rae. Beatopia also houses latest single “10:36,” lead single “Talk,” and recent album tracks “Lovesong” and “See You Soon.”

Having recently wrapped her U.S. tour opening for Halsey, this year has been beabadoobee’s biggest year yet with performances at Coachella, Glastonbury, Gov Ball and more.

beabadoobee 2022 TOUR DATES

August 09 – Way Out West Festival – Gothenburg, Sweden

August 10 – Sziget Festival – Budapest, Hungary

August 11 – Oya Festival – Oslo, Norway

August 20 – Summersonic Festival – Japan

August 21 – Summersonic Festival – Japan

August 24 – Zurich Openair Festival – Zurich, Switzerland

August 25 – Rock En Seine Festival – Paris, France

September 07 – Powerstation – Auckland, NZ

September 09 – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, Aus

September 10 – Forum – Melbourne, Aus

September 11 – The Tivoli – Brisbane, Aus

October 04 – Olympia Theatre – Dublin, UK

October 05 – Ulster Hall – Belfast, UK

October 07 – O2 Academy – Bristol, UK

October 08 – UEA – Norwich, UK

October 10 – Rock City – Nottingham, UK

October 11 – NX – Newcastle, UK

October 13 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK

October 14 – Foundry – Sheffield, UK

October 17 – Chalk – Brighton, UK

October 18 – Engine Rooms – Southampton, UK

October 25 – 9:30 Club – Washington, D.C

October 28 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY

October 29 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA

October 31 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA

November 1 – Underbelly – Jacksonville, FL

November 2 – Jannus Landing – St. Petersburg, FL

November 3 – Beacham Theater – Orlando, FL

November 5 – Republic NOLA – New Orleans, LA

November 6 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX

November 7 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX

November 8 – Emo’s – Austin, TX

November 10 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM

November 11 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ

November 12 – The Novo – Los Angeles, CA

November 14 – The Observatory OC – Santa Ana, CA

November 15 – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA

November 19 – Corona Capital – Mexico City, Mexico

November 21 – Moore Theater – Seattle, WA

November 22 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, Canada

November 23 – Roseland theater – Portland, OR

November 25 – The Depot – Salt Lake City, UT

November 26 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO

November 28 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN

November 29 – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL

December 1 – History – Toronto, Canada

December 2 – Club Soda – Montréal, Canada

December 3 – Empire Live – Albany, NY

December 4 – Roadrunner – Boston, MA

#independent music #dazedpompay #beababoodee

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Vibrant Auroras

In early November 2023, sky watchers across North America and Europe posted photos on social media of dazzling displays of the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis. Colorful ribbons of light filled night skies, incited by a strong geomagnetic storm in Earth’s magnetosphere.

The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured this image of the aurora over western Canada at 3:23 a.m. Mountain Time (10:23 Universal Time) on November 5, 2023. The aurora was so bright near Edmonton, Canada, it nearly saturated the satellite sensor. The event continued into the next evening, when skies in Glasgow, Montana, danced with pink and green light. The lights were especially bright near the U.S.-Canada border and in Alaska, but they were also faintly visible as far south as Texas.

The creation of an aurora typically starts when the Sun sends a surge of charged particles—through solar flares, coronal mass ejections, or an active solar wind—toward Earth. The solar particles collide with the magnetosphere and compress it, changing the configuration of Earth’s magnetic field. Some particles trapped in the magnetic field are accelerated into Earth’s upper atmosphere where they excite nitrogen and oxygen molecules and release photons of light, known as the aurora.

The aurora on November 5–6 was the product of multiple coronal mass ejections, large expulsions of magnetized plasma from the Sun’s corona, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. These bursts of plasma and energetic waves from the Sun crashed into Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing a strong geomagnetic storm.

A week before the storm, an astronaut on the International Space Station captured a photo (above) of another aurora while orbiting 260 miles (418 kilometers) above Utah on October 28, 2023. This aurora was likely caused by a coronal hole that rotated towards Earth, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. A coronal hole is an area of relatively cooler material in the solar atmosphere that is open to interplanetary space. These dark regions on the Sun’s surface emit material in a high-speed stream.

If you like watching aurora displays such as these, you can participate in aurora citizen science through a project called Aurorasaurus. The project tracks auroras around the world via reports to its website and on social media, then generates a real-time global map of those reports. Citizen scientists verify reports, and each verified sighting serves as a valuable data point for scientists to analyze and incorporate into space weather models. The project is a public-private partnership with the New Mexico Consortium and is supported by the National Science Foundation and NASA.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin and Wanmei Liang, using VIIRS day-night band data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. Astronaut photograph ISS070-E-14996 was acquired on October 28, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a 24 millimeter lens and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 70 crew. The image has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Story by Emily Cassidy.

#science #space #news #nasa #earth observatory

[momental]

Highlighting the April 2024 issue:

NASA's milestone in engine technology for future Artemis Missions

37 teams participating in the NASA-sponsored FIRST Robotics Competition at Magnolia Regional

Annual update provided by NASA and Stennis Leaders

Imagine it’s 2044 and you regret not witnessing the last total solar eclipse in 2024. Suddenly, you snap back to the present and realize you still have a chance to view it!

The total solar eclipse, happening on Monday, April 8, 2024, will be the last one visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. Don’t miss this moment when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely obscuring the Sun's face.

If you’re lucky, you might be in the path of totality where the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun. The sky will darken, giving you a chance to see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, usually hidden by the Sun's brightness.

NASA has prepared a comprehensive Solar Eclipse Guide to help you understand the event better. It provides information on the eclipse timings, best viewing locations, and safe viewing practices.

Join NASA on April 8 to explore the views of the total solar eclipse. The INFINITY Science Center, NASA Stennis' official visitor center, will be open for a day of solar science.

On a related note, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman made a special visit to NASA Stennis on March 6.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover, together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, visited south Mississippi for an RS-25 hot fire test. These three, along with Wiseman, form the Artemis II crew, set to circumnavigate the Moon as part of NASA's initiative to establish long-term lunar presence for scientific and exploratory purposes.Meanwhile, Gator, the mascot of NASA’s Stennis Space Center, continues to inspire NASA enthusiasts through its appearances on site certificates, awards, and Lagniappe, NASA Stennis' official monthly newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, reach out to the NASA Stennis Office of Communications. In other news, NASA celebrated a significant milestone on April 3 with the completion of a critical engine certification test series for its new RS-25 engines, propelling the Artemis campaign further.The importance of computer science for future NASA missions was the hot topic at NASA’s Next Gen STEM event in February.NASA Stennis Acting Director John Bailey shared updates on the center's activities and mission objectives, including propulsion testing, autonomous systems, range operations, and the federal city's expansion, at the 12th annual NASA Stennis Space Center Director’s Community Briefing on March 20.A new overview video of NASA Stennis is also now available.

NASA Stennis Showcases Workforce Diversity

In a recent briefing, NASA's Stennis Space Center unveiled a video showcasing its diverse and skilled workforce. The video, narrated by Barry Robinson, a NASA Stennis employee, received a positive response from the community leaders in attendance.

'I really love that video,' Bailey told the audience. 'We just produced that, and it really gives you an idea of who we are. Really, the thing I like the most is when all of our employees get up there and I see how excited they are because they are our most valuable resource we have. We could not do what we do without our employees, and we have some of the best in the world doing what we do for NASA.'

The event featured several esteemed speakers, including Hansel Gill, Jennifer Hailes, Steve Heller, and Mark Glorioso, who served as the emcee.

The briefing also highlighted the second annual FIRST Robotics Magnolia Regional Competition, which saw 37 high school teams from eight states and Mexico compete. The competition is a testament to the importance of STEM in education, with NASA’s Stennis Space Center partnering with NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project and Mississippi Power to bring the event to life.

Related links: NASA FY 2025 Funding, Total Solar Eclipse 2024, NASA Boeing Sustainable Experimental Airliner

Cherie Beech, an employee at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, appreciates the opportunities that the center provides.

Additional resources: NASA Stennis Overview, NASA's Tips For Incoming Solar Eclipse, NASA Stennis Associate Director Highlights Work at NASA Stennis

Check out the latest updates and videos from NASA's Stennis Space Center:

WVUE: NASA Stennis Delivers Annual State of NASA Stennis

SuperTalk Mississippi: Dr. Lauren Underwood Talks NASA Stennis’ First In-Space Mission

WDAM: FIRST Robotics Competition Held in Laurel

WLOX: NASA Stennis Delivers Annual State of NASA Stennis

SuperTalk Mississippi: NASA Stennis Associate Director Rodney McKellip Highlights NASA Stennis Work

WVUE: Massive new rocket engine undergoes successful test at Stennis Space Center

Sun Herald: Did you hear that? NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne complete key engine certification tests

WLOX: Final RS-25 engine test paves way for use in Artemis space missions

WXXV: Engine testing for RS-25 Space Engine at Stennis Space Center

WJTV: NASA completes final test firing of engines at Stennis Space Center

Associated Press: NASA conducts final engine test for Artemis V

WWL-TV: How Solar Eclipses are Predicted

'Lagniappe' is a monthly newsletter published by NASA's Stennis Space Center Office of Communications. For any questions or to subscribe, contact the NASA Stennis office at 228-688-3333 or [email protected].

The Lagniappe team includes Managing Editor Lacy Thompson, Editor Bo Black, and photographer Danny Nowlin.

For more information, feel free to reach out to NASA at [email protected]. Please include your name and location (city/state) in your email.

Source Link: Lagniappe for April 2024

[brn1029]

Time for today’s Rock Report, brought to you by Meriwether’s bistro! swing by for, breakfast, brunch lunch or dinner at Meriwether’s Bistro inside Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston.

Are you newly engaged? Give Sarah a call at Hells Canyon Grand Hotel! Sarah and her team can take the stress out of wedding planning. Call 2 0 8 7 4 8 1 0 5 7 to set up a meeting.

Mexico's Corona Capital Festival has revealed a star-studded lineup for this year's edition, which includes Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance and Miley Cyrus. The festival will run for three days across November 18-20, taking place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez race track in Mexico City. The festival will also feature Paramore, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Two Door Cinema Club and Liam Gallagher, among others…

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie said taking cocaine and drinking champagne helped her perform better. When asked about Fleetwood Mac's "legendary alcohol and drug intake" the singer said, "I always took fairly good care of myself. My drug of choice was cocaine and champagne. I didn't use any other drugs at all. It's easy for me to say, but I think it made me perform better. Maybe somebody could tell me different." When asked if she had any "blanks" in her memory from years of partying, McVie said, "I have to say I'm not guilt-free in that department but Stevie [Nicks] and I were very careful. The boys used to get provided with cocaine in Heineken bottle tops onstage, but Stevie and I only did the tiny little spoons. I suppose sometimes we got a bit out-there, but we were quite restrained, really."

The Boston Red Sox and Live Nation New England have announced a two-night concert by James Taylor with his All-Star Band for the official opening of the brand-new 5,000+ seat MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on August 29 and 30. "James' connection to the Red Sox, Fenway Park, and the broader Fenway Sports Group family has been a constant, and there is no one better suited to the task of debuting our new state-of-the-art venue," said Red Sox President Sam Kennedy. "We didn't only seek him out for his talent, accomplishment, and appeal, but as a Bostonian who, like us, understands the power a venue can have on people and communities."

"We can't wait to have James perform at the MGM Music Hall, a place we hope will stand for something greater than brick and mortar in the music world," he added.

[brookstonalmanac]

Beer Events 11.13

Events

Giuseppi Doti patented a Beer Pipe Cleaner (1917)

Corona 1st bottled (Mexico; 1925)

Manhattan Brewing 1st released their beer in cans (1935)

Aloysius Feit and Sydney Weisberg patented a Bottle Filling Apparatus (1956)

Guinness patented a Method of Dispensing Liquid (1962)

Gary German patented an Insulated Beer Keg Cooler (1984)

Samuel Adams Boston Lager passed the Reinheitsgebot (1985)

Archeologists discovered 3,800-year old cuneiform tablets containing a beer recipe in northern Syria (2002)

Christopher Wheaton and Courtenay Simon patented a Dispensing Valve Assembly for a Beer Keg (2003)

Breweries Opened

Pittsburgh Brewing (Pennsylvania; 1861)

Brauerei Fischerstube (Switzerland; 1974)

Union Colony Brewery (Colorado; 1993)

Empire Brewing (New York; 1994)

#Events