Latest news with #RickyMartin
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bristol Rovers bring back Darrell Clarke as manager
Bristol Rovers have re-appointed Darrell Clarke as their manager following their relegation to League Two. Rovers sacked head coach Inigo Calderon on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the end of a disappointing season that ended in a 4-1 thumping at Blackpool. Clarke, 47, had four years in charge of Rovers between 2014-2018, a stint in which he brought them back into the Football League at the first attempt and then instantly won promotion to League One. "It is difficult to put into words just how special it feels to come back to Bristol Rovers," Clarke said. "I am beyond proud to return and once again be here at this exceptional club. "Even though the season just gone was undoubtedly a difficult one, the potential of this club remains incredibly high and, when the chance to return came up, I didn't have any hesitation. "I am excited to get down to work during the off-season, prepare for the new campaign and step out at The Mem once again in front of the brilliant, passionate Gasheads. "We will need each and every one of them with us in the season to come and I want to give them a team they can get behind and performances they can be proud of." After leaving Rovers, Clarke subsequently managed at Walsall, Port Vale, Cheltenham and most recently Barnsley, who he left in March. While at Vale he also won promotion from League Two via a play-off final win over Mansfield in 2022. Director of football Ricky Martin said: "I am delighted to welcome Darrell back to Bristol Rovers. "Following the review of our footballing operation we began our recruitment proceedings, and it quickly became clear to me that Darrell was the right person to take our first team forward. He has been our number one target throughout this process."
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ground zero for the collapse of the Catholic church
Credit: Instagram/aguavivaperu Could this be scheduled for 10am Saturday please? Thank you The warm up act resembles a K-pop band. For half an hour, five young singers bounce on the stage, belting out glitzy Christian tracks in the vast auditorium. 'Even when I failed you, you were always there for me,' croons one of the men in white trainers, black jeans and a white T-shirt, as multi-coloured spotlights flash across the stage. 'A day in your house is worth more than 1,000 years without you,' sings a young woman. The Amauta Coliseum, in the centre of the Peruvian capital, Lima, which once hosted everything from a Miss Universe pageant to Ricky Martin concerts, is perhaps only a third full. But with a capacity of 20,000 people, that still means this evangelical service has attracted more congregants – by two orders of magnitude – than most Catholic churches in Latin America, which is experiencing a drastic decline in Catholicism despite the first South American pontiff, Pope Francis, sitting in the Vatican from 2013 until his death last month. Eventually, the band makes way for Carla Hornung, a slim, blonde preacher, in a flowing floral trouser suit. With a gleaming smile, she launches into a sermon about 'identity' and how to avoid 'toxic thoughts, emotions and ideas' by acknowledging Christ. Amid the self-help lecture peppered with biblical references, Miss Hornung encourages followers of Agua Viva, a neo-Pentecostal mega-church that preaches an unabashedly materialistic 'theology of prosperity', to enrol in its 'leadership' MA programme. At one point, the huge TV screen behind her displays Agua Viva's bank account details, complete with a QR code, as she urges congregants to donate. Similar scenes play out not just on Sundays but throughout the week in protestant churches large and small across Latin America, a region renowned as the most Catholic in the world, yet where evangelicals have for decades been rapidly attracting millions of converts. Numbers vary and the demographics are complicated, but according to one major study by the Pew Research Center, only 69 per cent of Latin Americans identified as Catholic in 2013, down from 94 per cent in the 1950s. Thanks to population growth, the number of Catholics has actually risen in all regions in the world over the past century, including Latin America. The total jumped from 1.39 billion in 2022 to 1.406 billion in 2023. Yet while other regions, above all Africa and Asia, have seen significant jumps in the proportion of Catholics, Europe's figures have remained stagnant, while the Church has, relatively, been rapidly losing ground in Latin America. The trend in Latin America was established long before Pope Francis assumed office in 2013. It continued throughout his time in the Vatican, notwithstanding his common touch and immense popularity. His attempts to halt the slide – and their lack of success – are now part of his legacy. The reasons are complex and rooted in rapid social changes, especially rural-to-urban migration, says Richard Wood, a University of Southern California sociologist. The process is part of the same global trend of a diversification in religious – and increasingly non-religious – beliefs evident in Europe, says José Luis Pérez Guadalupe, a sociologist from Lima's University of the Pacific. 'Secularisation is different in Latin America,' he adds. 'In Europe, it is rooted in rationality. Here it is cultural. The region remains overwhelmingly Christian and that is thanks to the Catholic Church. In that sense, evangelism is not a radical change. It's not like converting to Islam.' Changing attitudes on social issues have also left the Catholic establishment increasingly out of touch with many ordinary Latin Americans. Abortion and same sex marriage have been legalised in various nations, such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Meanwhile, child sex abuse scandals have taken a toll on the Church's legitimacy. Despite a hesitant start, there is 'no doubt' that Pope Francis eventually dealt decisively with clerical paedophilia, and possibly prevented it from mushrooming further, says Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist whose campaigning on the issue led to the pontiff inviting her to the Vatican in December. Notwithstanding many deeply conservative clergy and lay leaders, the Catholic Church in Latin America may also have suffered from its association with progressive causes, such as the focus on human rights and economic inequality. That 'moral courage, to bear Catholic witness to basic human dignity', including fighting sometimes unpopular battles on behalf of the poor and even democracy, has seen church figures, from bishops to nuns, assassinated down the years, especially in Central America, while also alienating some of the region's elites, says Dr Wood. Another reason is the relative lack of ordained priests. 'The bar to becoming a Catholic priest is really high,' he adds. 'You have to study theology for years. There's celibacy, and you have to be male. There just aren't that many.' For evangelicals, however, becoming a preacher can be a rapid, often informal process that largely boils down to 'charisma', says Dr Pérez Guadalupe. 'The bottom line is, will people in a church listen to you?' Yet Catholicism's decline in Latin America may also have been inevitable given its previous near total dominance. Since the 16th century, when, at the point of a sword, it was established as the hegemonic faith, the only way was down, Dr Wood says. Protestant missionaries first began making inroads in the 19th century. Those pioneers were principally Presbyterians and Methodists, with a strong social conscience. But since the 1960s, they have been overtaken by others, led by Pentecostals, preaching a more conservative interpretation of the gospel. Often focused on individual advancement, their message speaks to the aspirations of Latin America's working and lower middle classes struggling to escape from, or avoid falling back into, grinding poverty. Many Pentecostals have also become involved in Right-wing politics. That often includes pushing a strong law-and-order message, even demanding the death penalty, that resonates in a region plagued by violent crime. The Church has responded in multiple ways, beginning with the decision in the 1960s to translate the liturgy from Latin into local languages. Catholic theologians still debate how much deeper that process of 'inculturation', blending local culture into Church rituals, should go. One of the most sensitive areas is celibacy, especially in Africa, where it can undermine respect for Catholic clerics. Since the 1990s, there has also been an acceptance that the Church had been too Eurocentric in its thinking. Indeed, many clerics in developed nations today hail from the developing world. Meanwhile, there has also been a growing trend of 'charismatic' Catholicism. The movement, which has no clear structure or leadership, has seen Catholic clergy borrow evangelical rituals, including prayer meetings away from churches, faith healing and even speaking tongues. As they leave the Amauta Coliseum, Yheison Ventura and Susan Mayta, a married couple who manage a small swimming academy, explain what drew them to Agua Viva. 'It's more about the message than the preacher,' says Ms Mayta, 30. 'This is much more direct. You connect with it. In a Catholic church, the priest is more distant, a bit like a boss. And the ceremonies are repetitive. They're a bit boring.' Her husband, 34, adds: 'I really like the music here. It's uplifting. I know the Pope. I liked him. He liked football. But that's not going to make me go to a Catholic church.' Now, following the death of the first Latin American pontiff, the challenge for the Church to maintain its relevance in the region may become even steeper. Dr Wood says that the choice of the next pope is more complex than the way it is often portrayed, as a struggle between liberal and conservative strains of Catholicism. He says: 'Francis's legacy is, as he often said, that the Church is for everyone. He made it more open, more human. Can it now maintain its traditions while also projecting itself into the future, with a sense of joy in the gospel?' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Ground zero for the collapse of the Catholic Church
The warm up act resembles a K-pop band. For half an hour, five young singers bounce on the stage, belting out glitzy Christian tracks in the vast auditorium. 'Even when I failed you, you were always there for me,' croons one of the men in white trainers, black jeans and a white T-shirt, as multi-coloured spotlights flash across the stage. 'A day in your house is worth more than 1,000 years without you,' sings a young woman. The Amauta Coliseum, in the centre of the Peruvian capital, Lima, which once hosted everything from a Miss Universe pageant to Ricky Martin concerts, is perhaps only a third full. But with a capacity of 20,000 people, that still means this evangelical service has attracted more congregants – by two orders of magnitude – than most Catholic churches in Latin America, which is experiencing a drastic decline in Catholicism despite the first South American pontiff, Pope Francis, sitting in the Vatican from 2013 until his death last month. Eventually, the band makes way for Carla Hornung, a slim, blonde preacher, in a flowing floral trouser suit. With a gleaming smile, she launches into a sermon about 'identity' and how to avoid 'toxic thoughts, emotions and ideas' by acknowledging Christ. Amid the self-help lecture peppered with biblical references, Miss Hornung encourages followers of Agua Viva, a neo-Pentecostal mega-church that preaches an unabashedly materialistic 'theology of prosperity', to enrol in its 'leadership' MA programme. At one point, the huge TV screen behind her displays Agua Viva's bank account details, complete with a QR code, as she urges congregants to donate. Similar scenes play out not just on Sundays but throughout the week in protestant churches large and small across Latin America, a region renowned as the most Catholic in the world, yet where evangelicals have for decades been rapidly attracting millions of converts. Numbers vary and the demographics are complicated, but according to one major study by the Pew Research Center, only 69 per cent of Latin Americans identified as Catholic in 2013, down from 94 per cent in the 1950s. Thanks to population growth, the number of Catholics has actually risen in all regions in the world over the past century, including Latin America. The total jumped from 1.39 billion in 2022 to 1.406 billion in 2023. Yet while other regions, above all Africa and Asia, have seen significant jumps in the proportion of Catholics, Europe's figures have remained stagnant, while the Church has, relatively, been rapidly losing ground in Latin America. The trend in Latin America was established long before Pope Francis assumed office in 2013. It continued throughout his time in the Vatican, notwithstanding his common touch and immense popularity. His attempts to halt the slide – and their lack of success – are now part of his legacy. The reasons are complex and rooted in rapid social changes, especially rural-to-urban migration, says Richard Wood, a University of Southern California sociologist. The process is part of the same global trend of a diversification in religious – and increasingly non-religious – beliefs evident in Europe, says José Luis Pérez Guadalupe, a sociologist from Lima's University of the Pacific. 'Secularisation is different in Latin America,' he adds. 'In Europe, it is rooted in rationality. Here it is cultural. The region remains overwhelmingly Christian and that is thanks to the Catholic Church. In that sense, evangelism is not a radical change. It's not like converting to Islam.' Changing attitudes on social issues have also left the Catholic establishment increasingly out of touch with many ordinary Latin Americans. Abortion and same sex marriage have been legalised in various nations, such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Meanwhile, child sex abuse scandals have taken a toll on the Church's legitimacy. Despite a hesitant start, there is 'no doubt' that Pope Francis eventually dealt decisively with clerical paedophilia, and possibly prevented it from mushrooming further, says Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist whose campaigning on the issue led to the pontiff inviting her to the Vatican in December. Notwithstanding many deeply conservative clergy and lay leaders, the Catholic Church in Latin America may also have suffered from its association with progressive causes, such as the focus on human rights and economic inequality. That 'moral courage, to bear Catholic witness to basic human dignity', including fighting sometimes unpopular battles on behalf of the poor and even democracy, has seen church figures, from bishops to nuns, assassinated down the years, especially in Central America, while also alienating some of the region's elites, says Dr Wood. Another reason is the relative lack of ordained priests. 'The bar to becoming a Catholic priest is really high,' he adds. 'You have to study theology for years. There's celibacy, and you have to be male. There just aren't that many.' For evangelicals, however, becoming a preacher can be a rapid, often informal process that largely boils down to 'charisma', says Dr Pérez Guadalupe. 'The bottom line is, will people in a church listen to you?' Yet Catholicism's decline in Latin America may also have been inevitable given its previous near total dominance. Since the 16th century, when, at the point of a sword, it was established as the hegemonic faith, the only way was down, Dr Wood says. Protestant missionaries first began making inroads in the 19th century. Those pioneers were principally Presbyterians and Methodists, with a strong social conscience. But since the 1960s, they have been overtaken by others, led by Pentecostals, preaching a more conservative interpretation of the gospel. Often focused on individual advancement, their message speaks to the aspirations of Latin America's working and lower middle classes struggling to escape from, or avoid falling back into, grinding poverty. Many Pentecostals have also become involved in Right-wing politics. That often includes pushing a strong law-and-order message, even demanding the death penalty, that resonates in a region plagued by violent crime. The Church has responded in multiple ways, beginning with the decision in the 1960s to translate the liturgy from Latin into local languages. Catholic theologians still debate how much deeper that process of 'inculturation', blending local culture into Church rituals, should go. One of the most sensitive areas is celibacy, especially in Africa, where it can undermine respect for Catholic clerics. Since the 1990s, there has also been an acceptance that the Church had been too Eurocentric in its thinking. Indeed, many clerics in developed nations today hail from the developing world. Meanwhile, there has also been a growing trend of 'charismatic' Catholicism. The movement, which has no clear structure or leadership, has seen Catholic clergy borrow evangelical rituals, including prayer meetings away from churches, faith healing and even speaking tongues. As they leave the Amauta Coliseum, Yheison Ventura and Susan Mayta, a married couple who manage a small swimming academy, explain what drew them to Agua Viva. 'It's more about the message than the preacher,' says Ms Mayta, 30. 'This is much more direct. You connect with it. In a Catholic church, the priest is more distant, a bit like a boss. And the ceremonies are repetitive. They're a bit boring.' Her husband, 34, adds: 'I really like the music here. It's uplifting. I know the Pope. I liked him. He liked football. But that's not going to make me go to a Catholic church.' Now, following the death of the first Latin American pontiff, the challenge for the Church to maintain its relevance in the region may become even steeper. Dr Wood says that the choice of the next pope is more complex than the way it is often portrayed, as a struggle between liberal and conservative strains of Catholicism. He says: 'Francis's legacy is, as he often said, that the Church is for everyone. He made it more open, more human. Can it now maintain its traditions while also projecting itself into the future, with a sense of joy in the gospel?'
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Yahoo
St. Martinville Police warns of email impersonation scam
ST. MARTINVILLE, La. () — St. Martinville Police Chief Ricky Martin is warning residents of a scam which impersonates him with an email regarding fake city business. A said if anyone receives an email from Martin, it is a scam. 'Below is an image of the email that's going around,' the post reads. 'Please do not open the email as we are working on getting this taken care of.' The genuine-looking email is totally fake and should be deleted, officials said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now What position will Travis Hunter play in the NFL? Trump sued over 'Liberation Day' tariffs St. Martinville Police warns of email impersonation scam Harvard rejects Trump demands for funding Reaction pours in after the death of former UL, LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Like Bingo, but With Beef: Why Meat Raffles Are Blowing Up
The giant raffle wheel stood before a crowd buzzing with anticipation. A sweepstakes of sorts was about to get underway. At stake: Steak. And pork tenderloin. And sausage. And almost every other cut of meat imaginable. Nearly 260 people sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a recent Saturday night at long tables inside V.F.W. Post 1419 in Hamburg, N.Y., a Buffalo suburb. They drank cheap beer from plastic cups, snacked on munchies and fingered the stacks of $1 bills they had brought to gamble. Ricky Martin's 'Livin' La Vida Loca' blared over the speakers. Hovering nearby were dozens of children in Hamburg Hawks hockey jerseys ready to take their money. 'It's a meat raffle,' said Katie Bratek, who wore a red, white and blue T-shirt that read 'Meat Raffle Queen.' She had wheeled out a cart of strip steaks, shrimp and ribs that were up for grabs. 'You can get a rack of ribs for $2. It's a deal, and who doesn't love a deal?' Meat raffles, unknown in most of the United States, are as embedded as snow and ice in the fabric of communities of the Great Lakes and Midwest, where they are formidable fund-raising tools for charities and, increasingly, youth sports organizations. A meat raffle is pretty much what it sounds like: buying tickets for a chance to win some meat. People are drawn to the events by their party-like atmosphere, county fair homeyness and, of course, the chance to win meat packaged and provided by a butcher or distributor. 'I just love meat raffles,' said Mike Schmitt, a 52-year-old landscaper and snowplow operator who was at the Hamburg V.F.W. 'You've got all the beer you can drink, all the side prizes, and you can win meat. You don't have to go to the grocery store. How can you go wrong with that?' The meat raffle in Hamburg was for the benefit of the Hamburg Hawks Hockey Association, a local youth sports group. It was just one of about a dozen such raffles in the Buffalo area that weekend. (Mr. Schmitt, who brought a date to the Hawks raffle, had four on his calendar in the coming weeks.) About a half-hour away the same night, Caitlynne Kesty was hosting a meat raffle at American Legion Post 622 in Williamsville, N.Y for the Amherst Lightning, a softball team of 11- and 12-year-old girls. 'Meat raffles blew up over the last few years,' said Ms. Kesty, a purchaser at a machine shop who figures she runs nearly 100 raffles a year with her father, Mark 'The Meat Man' Demmin, through their side hustle, WNY Meat Raffles. 'We do churches, charities, but the majority of them now are sports.' Nearby, Lightning members acted as 'runners,' peddling $2 and $3 tickets to the crowd of 120 people waving dollar bills in the air between raffle rounds. 'You've got to be rough,' Natalie Sheaks, 11, said of her job. The Williamsville post is booked every Saturday through August for meat raffles, said Theresa English, the bar manager. All the raffles were being held for sports teams, from volleyball to soccer to baseball. 'The Girl Scouts do cookies, youth sports do meat raffles,' explained Lily Wozniak, the Amherst Lightning coach. 'They're very profitable.' Google 'fund-raising ideas for youth sports' and there are pages upon pages of suggestions like 'hold a carwash,' 'host a golf tournament,' 'have a bake sale,' and 'host a pancake breakfast.' The list goes on and on. But most of these lists overlook what western New York residents have long known: Meat raffles bring home the bacon. They can draw hundreds of people, and those who organize the raffles say the average amount of money raised can run from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on the turnout. That is not small change at a time when half of all parents with children in youth sports report struggling to pay the cost of participating, according to a 2023 report by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit research organization. 'It kills selling candy door to door,' said Erick Hansen, who advertises meat raffles on his website, 'In one night you can make what you can make in three months of selling popcorn or cookie dough or whatever.' To the uninitiated, the mere mention of a meat raffle raises eyebrows and unleashes a torrent of questions. A what raffle? What do you mean 'meat?' Where does this meat come from? And people eat this meat? Donna Quigley, who attended the Amherst Lightning raffle, recalled telling her work supervisor, who is based in Charleston, S.C., that she planned to attend a meat raffle over the weekend. 'He laughed out loud and said, 'What's a meat raffle?'' Ms. Quigley said. 'I go, 'Well, it's a fund-raiser and they have a big wheel and then you win bacon, and people get so excited.' The raffles vary in method but generally rely on a wheel with numbered slats that correspond to a winning ticket typically sold for $1 to $5. Wheels for the largest raffles have 120 to 240 slats. The clack-clack-clack of the spinning wheel and the announcing of the winning number tends to elicit a Pavlovian response from the audience. People applaud, whoop and ring cowbells. Winners pump their fists in the air and run to claim their prizes like contestants on a television game show. Except the prize isn't a new car. It's a shrink-wrapped bone-in pork butt. 'They call the number, and people get so excited they jump over the tables for a bag of hot dogs,' said Ms. English, the Post 622 bar manager. While traditional youth sports fund-raising campaigns rely on the charity, or pity, of relatives and friends, it is not unusual for meat raffles to attract patrons with no affiliation to or interest in the cause. They come for the meat, the free or discounted beer and the entertainment. It's not unlike people for whom playing bingo is part of their social life. The meat raffle's origins are obscure. Some reports have linked them to food rationing during World War II, although references to meat raffles began appearing in Midwest newspapers around the turn of the last century. At some point, they became custom in pockets in the middle of the country, particularly in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where a meat raffle can be found at one pub or another every night of the week. They began popping up in Buffalo about 20 years ago. Depending on the state, meat raffles are subject to charitable gambling laws. In New York, for instance, regulations require organizations anticipating raffle proceeds of more than $5,000 to register with the state Gaming Commission. Art Doldan, who runs meat raffles through his Buffalo business, ArtyParty716, called the growth he has seen in recent years 'ridiculous.' 'People love them,' he said. 'They bring their own food. Some of them dress up. Some of them have themes. It's like a different tailgate at every table.' Denise Naedele, the treasurer of the Hamburg Hawks Hockey Association, which serves about 600 youngsters, said the organization used to host a 'Night at the Races' at a local horse track as its main fund-raising event. The Hawks switched to meat raffles because of their potential to raise so much more money and bring people together. Ms. Naedele said the group's last raffle raised $16,000, which was used in part to buy equipment and defray registration costs for needy families. 'At the end of the day,' she said, 'people are waving dollar bills in the air, wearing chicken hats, making animal noises. It's a fun night out.' 'And, sometimes, you win some meat.'
