Latest news with #Puppy
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
After a violent past, could ‘Puppy' help lead his community to peace?
Editor's note: This story is part of 'Hard Times,' a special report by The Republican on the challenge of healing from civic trauma. In the heart of Holyoke, where shadows dance, Lived a young man named Puppy, caught in a trance. His eyes held storms, his heart a flame, A soul entwined in a perilous game. That is the first stanza of a poem by Luis Antonio 'Khalil' Rodriguez, reflecting on the moment he nearly took a life. Rodriquez posted the poem on his Facebook page with a newspaper article underneath it, with the headline: '2 Brothers Wanted in Street Shooting.' Back then, in the early 2000s, people in Holyoke called him Puppy. 'The name Puppy came from childhood,' Rodriguez said, sitting in a Holyoke restaurant, just below Whitley's Boxing and Fitness gym, where he now coaches. 'They bought me a puppy, the puppy bit me, and I bit the puppy back,' he said. The nickname stuck. 'I have a tattoo of it on my stomach,' said Rodriguez, who, although he's 43, is lean and muscular with a defined six-pack and a boxer's physique. 'The name resonated with gang culture and the lifestyle of selling drugs.' Born to a world where hope seemed lost, He wandered through streets where dreams were tossed. In alleys where whispers of violence grew, He found a home in a dangerous crew. Rodriguez's parents were drug users. 'I came out of my mom's womb going through withdrawal,' he said. After his birth, he was placed into child services, moving between foster homes and, eventually, juvenile detention centers. He had two brothers and a sister, who were also taken away. 'My sister got raped in foster care,' he said of the horrors they faced. Once he was old enough, he started selling drugs, hoping to earn enough for a place where his mom, little brother and sister could live. 'I was always thinking about the future, and my whole process of selling drugs was to try to get my little brother and sister back from foster care. I was trying to get my mom sober enough to get our own place,' he said. But gang life consumed him – and soon the streets became his only focus. His fellow gang members offered him a kind of love he had never felt. 'For the first time, I felt at home,' he said. Everywhere else in his life, 'there was no love or affection.' The gang was like a tribe that loved each other and offered 'a kind of unison,' he said. He was 14. 'But then, the goal was no longer to get enough money to get my mom sober enough to get an apartment and get those kids back from foster care,' he said. 'That lifestyle, it sucked me in like a vacuum.' With fists clenched tight and a gaze of steel, He wore his anger like a shield, to feel. The world had taught him to trust his rage, A fiery script on a youthful page. The love he received from the gang was conditional. It was contingent on violence. 'I believed violence was a language,' he said. And in that world, power belonged to those who spoke it fluently. 'The most violent, the most rageful people were the ones in leadership positions,' he said. 'They were seen and respected and honored.' Reflecting as a grown man who's been incarcerated for attempted murder, he now questions that kind of love. 'I feel like people were more afraid than loving,' he said. 'The reality is people would do these things for me because they were scared of what I was capable of doing to them.' Yet beneath the bravado, a child remained, Yearning for love in a city stained. Even as he sold drugs in a gang, Rodriguez understood that he was just a child. He still had the needs of a child. He still wanted a family. He craved unconditional love. He yearned for 'that peace,' he said. But his life would get much more violent before he found it. The echoes of shots rang through the night, As he sought power in a fleeting fight. Rodriguez was 20 years old when someone pulled a gun on his 17-year-old brother, prompting him to go looking for the man, he said. On that fateful eve, with adrenaline's rush, He faced a rival in a deadly hush. In the heat of anger, decisions made, A bullet's path by his hands was laid. He and his brother arrived at the man's house. When the people there saw him, they realized who he was. 'It's Puppy!' he heard someone shout in fear. A man reached out to shake his hand. Rodriguez slapped it away. His gun was already loaded. 'I ain't come here for that,' he recalled saying. The man who he said pulled the gun on his little brother walked over, 'acting real tough.' Curses were exchanged. 'I just shot one time to the face,' he said. 'I remember he dropped.' Such violence was his reality. As he walked away, he didn't think about what would happen next. He didn't think about death or life in prison. 'I never thought I'd make it to 21 anyway,' he said. 'Because a lot of folks around me weren't making it.' And as the sirens wailed their mournful tune, The stars above dimmed in the solemn moon. For in the act of fury, lives were changed, A cycle of pain forever arranged. He and his brother ran to Delaware but were eventually found and arrested. Police officers surrounded their car. One stood on the hood, pointing a shotgun down at his chest. Rodriguez's gun was loaded, but he didn't reach for the weapon. Instead, he reached for a photograph. His niece. His family. The life he had always wanted. 'And there was my niece,' he remembered. 'There was life.' Yet, somewhere, deep in his restless soul, Lies a flicker of hope for redemption's goal. For even in darkness, light can break, And heal the wounds of a heart that aches. The man he shot survived. Rodriguez went to prison on a charge of assault with intent to kill. He served eight years. In prison, he met some Muslim men who gave him a new name: Khalil. 'It means 'intimate friend,'' he said. 'They taught me the importance of a name.' 'He told me that this new name was going to define me in the future,' Rodriguez said. 'I didn't believe him, but it did.' Rodriguez's road from violence to redemption has been long and hard, but he has committed himself to using his failures to help others. After serving his time, he began working for different nonprofit agencies. He's worked with adolescents from 17 to 24 who have been arrested for committing felonies. He's worked in harm reduction, making sure drug users have clean needles — giving them a chance at getting sober. Rodriguez's father died from AIDS after contracting the virus from a dirty needle. Rodriguez has spent many hours in city alleys, talking to people caught in addiction. He's picked up thousands of dirty syringes from the streets. He has worked helping people who suffered from domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. In 2014, he created the Vanguard Movement, which works directly with gang members, trying to help them improve their lives. He has dedicated his life after prison to helping people facing similar struggles he experienced before he went to prison. Meanwhile, he learned how to feel. The same Muslim man who gave him his name passed along this wisdom.'When I look back at all the decisions I made, I never processed my emotions. It was always a reaction,' he said, adding that he only knew 'happy' or 'angry.' He didn't know anything in between. Healing for him has been about experiencing a range of emotions, and learning that it's okay to feel. 'It's what you do with those feelings that matter,' he said. All of this work has helped him get closer to his 'authentic self,' he said, which has nothing to do with the gangs he joined as a child. Since being released from prison, Rodriguez has run into the man he shot. One time, they were attending a basketball game where Rodriguez's stepson and the man's son were on the same team. He hadn't known this before. When they locked eyes, the man walked out, but Rodriguez followed. They had a short talk. Rodriguez wanted him to know that they could share the same space. Rodriguez carries the weight of that night. He asked for forgiveness. 'Yet, I understand that he doesn't have to forgive me,' Rodriguez said. Eventually, they met again and introduced their sons to each other. Then, Rodriguez was doing 'Stop the Violence' workshops and he asked him if he wanted to participate. 'He didn't feel comfortable doing so,' Rodriguez said. They have not spoken since. For this article, I reached out to the man he shot, but he declined to be interviewed. 'I need to make amends with him through my actions today,' Rodriguez said. 'Which is why I'm dedicated to the line of work I do.' Oh, Puppy from Holyoke, may you find your way, To peace and solace in the light of day. For within the ashes of anger's fire, Lies the seed of change, and a heart's desire. A few days after we talked, Rodriguez reached out again. He'd run into the man he shot. And this time, the man said something Rodriguez never expected: 'I forgive you.' 'I was truly awed,' Rodriguez said. Read the original article on MassLive.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Can Jeff Koons take a joke? This Bay Area artist is about to find out
Sometimes, you hear an idea for an art project that's so smart and funny, you can't wait to see how it gets realized. That was how I felt when Santa Clara artist Kathy Aoki told me about her developing series 'Koons Ruins.' The Koons in question is one of the most famous living artists in the world: Jeff Koons. The 70-year-old has been ubiquitous in the art market since the 1980s, known for works that reference everyday objects — basketballs, action figures, barware — that he heightens by inflating their scale and adding a glossy, pop culture sheen. Even if you don't know his name, you might recognize his work: 'Balloon Dog' and 'Tulips' sculptures, both made to resemble the kind of twisty balloon creations made by clowns; his gargantuan 'Puppy,' covered in flowers and greenery; or 'Come Through With Taste — Myers's Dark Rum — Quote Newsweek,' a fake magazine advertisement. Koons calls himself 'an idea person' and is not involved in the actual fabrication of his work. Still, his art sells for millions of dollars and is in museum collections across the globe. 'Even if people aren't familiar with his work, they can recognize gross commercialism when they see it,' Aoki told me, quick to state that she does not hate Koons or all of his work. 'But when he talks, I can't tell if he's smiling to himself like he's pulled the wool over the eyes of all these institutional directors, investors and collectors, or if he really believes in the work that he's making.' With its commentary about the art market, collectors and blue chip art that Aoki brings to Koons' work, she goes much deeper than the artist himself. 'Koons Ruins' is currently getting a high-profile preview this month on the Salesforce Tower's 'Day for Night' video installation. Aoki's five-minute animation features giant chipmunks roosting on a buried balloon dog sculpture and tractors bearing the 'Koons Ruins' logo. In the finale, a balloon sculpture is tossed over a waterfall, rises, and then sinks into bubbles. The video runs most days beginning at midnight. What made me fall in love with the 'Koons Ruins' project is the storytelling. Aoki, 56, invented an art collector named Dorothea James who was so offended by Koons' work that she makes it her mission to buy as much of it as possible so she can destroy it. The wrecked pieces are eventually put on view at her estate, now dubbed 'Koons Ruins,' and opened to the public upon her death. 'She goes so far as to hire her own team of chemists to undo the proprietary coating that Jeff Koons has made for his sculptures,' Aoki explained of the character. 'I'm enjoying exploring her character more, and why she's taken it this far.' When I met Aoki at her room at the Hotel Del Sol during the Startup Art Fair San Francisco in April, she had transformed the space into a visitors' center for the nonexistent location with a topographic map of the imagined art park, peepholes where you could see images of degraded Koons art, animation and even an audio tour. I laughed at installations that rated different Koons works for their level of offensiveness. I browsed the 'gift shop' with its T-shirts featuring crossed out balloon dog 'Koons Ruins' logos. Aoki is currently a fellow at the Lucas Artists Residency Program at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga and will be working a San Francisco residency at the Space Program in the fall. But the biggest supporter of her project is the New York-based nonprofit Creative Capital, which gave Aoki a $50,000 grant for the project this year. While Aoki has previously dipped into the pool of pop culture commentary and large-scale art with pieces like her 'Gwen Stefani Grand Burial Exhibition' (2009-16) and her 'Hello Kitty Monument' (2012-20), she is in new legal territory with Koons. Because her work references existing work by the living and notoriously litigious artist, she is carefully navigating how much of his works she can depict and how. Showing images she's created of Koons' art in various stages of decay have so far felt safe, she said, but she remains cautious. Aoki knows of the 2011 cease and desist letter San Francisco gallery Park Life received from Koons after selling bookends in the shapes of balloon dogs. (Koons himself has been the subject of at least four copyright infringement lawsuits.) But one of the benefits of Aoki's Creative Capital grant is access to lawyers who will advise her of her legal rights as an artist. Aoki's hope is that she can use the grant to create large, 'immersive scenes' that will pay homage to her practice as a print maker while also using two-dimensional elements. Eventually, however, she wants to take the narrative further. 'I would like to make a mockumentary film about the 'Koons Ruins,'' Aoki told me. 'There's just so many different elements of the story and approaches I'm excited about.'
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Puppy Movie Review: Heartfelt, sincere but needs more emotional heft
The scenes where the boys explore Cubbon Park, see the Vidhana Soudha, and try to understand the city's symbols show us how village children see the urban world—full of wonder but also confusion. Their small pigeon-selling plan is another key moment—they see pigeons as symbols of freedom, but one buyer refuses to let the bird fly. This moment challenges their beliefs in a way that stays with you. When the boys find the missing dog poster, it creates a turning point. A ₹10,000 reward is announced for the dog, Puppy. For these children, whose families work all day for far less, the idea of such a reward is shocking. It raises quiet but strong questions about what is truly valued in a city like Bengaluru. At first, the two friends who go out to find the dog succeed in their mission and try to return it. But then Parshya has other plans and quietly switches off his father's phone. What does this mean? Is it a small act made out of confusion, or something deeper? The film doesn't explain—it lets us think. The pandemic also makes a quiet appearance—not through dramatic scenes with masks, but through posters of Dia and Love Mocktail 2, hinting at the time period. COVID-19 once again pushes migrant workers to leave the city for their villages, showing how fragile their dreams really are. However, the film does have its weak points. The bond between the boy and the dog feels rushed. Since Parshya spends only two days together, the emotional connection isn't strong enough to carry the final scenes. While the film tries to be heartwarming, the short time frame makes the ending feel a bit forced.
New Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Dhruva Sarja presents Puppy, a heartfelt exploration of North Karnataka's humour
Puppy , an upcoming Kannada film led by Dhruva Sarja, explores the essence of North Karnataka's Javali dialect and culture. Directed by Ayush Mally, the film blends comedy and emotion, and it has earned praise in the industry for its perfect balance of humour and heartfelt moments. 'The film is a rollercoaster of emotions, bringing to life comedy deeply rooted in our culture,' says Dhruva Sarja, who is presenting the film. 'It's not just about making the audience laugh but also connecting with them emotionally. That's the magic of Puppy ,' Dhruva adds. The film, releasing on May 1, follows two young boys navigating life's struggles. It has a strong cast, including Jagadeesh Koppla, Aditya Sindhanur, and Rithwik Ballari. Dhruva, known for action-packed roles, says he always wanted to do something different, and Pappi gave him that opportunity of supporting a film. As per the makers, it touches on serious themes while keeping the humour intact. "The local dialect and cultural authenticity make it special,' Dhruva says. Sharing his vision, director Ayush Mally stated, 'When I first read the script, I was drawn to the emotional core. The film reflects our culture, with humour that feels close to home.' At a recent promotional event, Dhruva spoke about the camaraderie on set. 'The team really came together. The chemistry, especially with the younger actors, was incredible,' he says. Ayush adds, 'We didn't overdo the promotions, but the feedback has been overwhelming. After the trailer release, Dhruva called and said, 'I'll support you in every way I can.' His passion for the project made this experience even more memorable.' The film's focus on local humour and emotions has garnered praise from industry veterans. 'What sets Puppy apart is its authenticity in story and characters,' Dhruva says. 'I hope Kannada audiences embrace this film.' Actor Rana Daggubati's interest in acquiring the Telugu remake rights proves the film's appeal. 'It's exciting that Puppy caught the attention of such a big name,' says Ayush. With a strong local flavour, Puppy aims to captivate diverse audiences and celebrate North Karnataka's cultural richness.
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Racing world in mourning after shock death of 'much-loved champion' Greg Sugars
In a shocking blow to the Australian harness racing community, celebrated trainer and driver Greg Sugars has passed away unexpectedly aged just 40. The well-known trainer and driver died in his sleep after driving to New South Wales on Saturday to ready his team to race at Menangle. His wife, Jess Tubbs, announced the shocking news on social media. 'With an absolutely shattered heart that doesn't want to believe it's possibly true, I need to share the news that Greg passed away in his sleep last night,' Jess wrote. 'He had excitedly driven our team to NSW yesterday, with none of us possibly predicting this was in our future. 'His beloved son Harvey doesn't yet understand that dad won't be home to take him to Puppy School Graduation on Tuesday. 'We are heartbroken and very much still processing everything so some time and space will be appreciated.' Harness Racing Victoria decided to cancel its meeting Saturday night in Melton 'out of respect for Greg and his family'. 'Harness Racing Victoria extends its deepest condolences to the Sugars family, Jess Tubbs, and all fellow participants following the heartbreaking news of Greg Sugars' passing,' Harness Racing Victoria said. Tributes for Sugars have flooded social media. 'Words simply aren't enough when you hear a story like this one. Greg Sugars had so much more to give. Condolences to the harness racing family,' posted broadcaster Andrew Bensley. SEN radio boss Craig Hutchison posted: 'Devastated to learn tonight of the passing of Greg Sugars. Shattering. Much loved and respected champion driver in the trots world; thoughts of SEN's entire team entire team are with Jess, his family, and everyone at HRV. A wonderful man, taken so young. RIP.' Adam Hamilton posted: 'The feeling of devastation is immense. The pain through the harness racing industry around the world is immeasurable. What a talent. What a star. What a passionate and wonderful man. RIP Greg Sugars.' Sky racing wrote: 'We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of champion harness trainer/driver Greg Sugars. Our thoughts are with the Sugars family in this incredibly tough time.' We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Greg Sugars' passing. Greg will be remembered as one of the sport's legendary trainers and drivers, and we were privileged to see him at his best behind Just Believe in the 2023 Inter Dominion. RQ extends its condolences to Jess… — Racing Queensland (@Racing_QLD) April 26, 2025 SENTrack is saddened to hear of the passing of Greg Sugars. Our thoughts are with the Sugars family, Jess Tubbs, and all fellow participants. — SENTrack (@SEN_track) April 26, 2025 The harness racing world is in mourning following the news of his tragic passing Sugars, the son of decorated former trainer Ross Sugars, was very well-known in the world harness racing ranks. Earlier this year, he had called time on the stunning career of his global trotting champion Just Believe. Sugars trained a remarkable 4028 winners at the time of his death, 64 of those at group 1 level.
