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Mimes, at their best, are the most honest way of representing the absurdity of man — saying everything without a word, exaggerating every gesture until the absurdity can't be missed.A Massachusetts mime just stripped that idea bare, literally.One woman alone reported more than 50 encounters that escalated over roughly two months.Known around Boston's suburbs for roaming public spaces in a black-and-white mime costume, Hernan Villagran Lux, 29, of Framingham, was arrested Sunday evening by Massachusetts State Police troopers who recognized him near the Cochituate Rail Trail — a popular site for boating, hiking, fishing, and swimming — and found he had an active warrant, according to a State Police spokesperson.The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office says Lux is facing criminal harassment charges after three female state park employees said he terrorized them for months.Lux frequently posts videos of himself in the full getup on his Facebook and Instagram pages — suit, top hat, cane, face powdered a stark white. Other posts show him wearing only underwear in outdoor settings; his captions are in Spanish.The attorney’s office says the three women, all employees of the Department of Conservation and Preservation, knew Lux by name and appearance, and one woman alone reported more than 50 encounters that escalated over roughly two months.RELATED: 'Little f**king c***s!' Democrat treasurer fired after video shows him spewing obscenities at women at anti-ICE protest According to Boston 25 News, Framingham District Court Supervisor Andrew Mange said the women described an “extensive number of contacts” involving him staring at them and smiling in a way they found "really unnerving and frankly terrifying."Mange also told the court that the women said the encounters had grown increasingly brazen — including one instance in which Lux allegedly "stripped down to his underwear, slathered cooking oil all over his body, and began working out right by their staff area."As bizarre as the case may sound, the arraignment hearing took yet another unusual turn. As the allegations were read aloud by Mange, Lux fainted on the stand and had to be treated in court. He pleaded not guilty, and the judge ordered a mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital. Lux is due back in court on August 6.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Illegal alien activist groups have been protesting against a familiar banking company that had been providing lending services to companies running federal detention centers — and the pressure appears to have worked.De-ICE Citizens Bank, a left-wing organization dedicated to protesting against Citizens Bank, took credit for the decision.'None of these virtues seem to matter to the activist groups, as they have tried to define us through a narrow lens inconsistent with who we are.' "Citizens Bank has announced it will exit its lending agreements with CoreCivic and GEO Group. This is an incredible win for everyone who refused to let a major bank finance the human suffering caused by ICE detention! Community resistance matters," the group said Friday on social media.However, in an exhaustive statement dated Friday, Citizens Financial Group denied that the decision had anything to do with politics."Citizens has been disappointed that the activists have dragged it into what is largely a political matter," the bank said."Public characterizations of Citizens by activist groups, including as it relates to our commitment to immigrants and to communities, do not reflect who we are or the record we have built," it added. "Citizens is deeply committed to serving our customers, colleagues, and communities."Citizens Bank claimed that the two companies' "capital needs and financing structures" changed after making deals with the federal government. "This is a business decision based on changed commercial circumstances and does not reflect any change in our view regarding these companies' business models or operations," it said.The bank also touted its work with nonprofits serving immigrant communities and accused the activists of misrepresenting the character of the institution."None of these virtues seem to matter to the activist groups, as they have tried to define us through a narrow lens inconsistent with who we are," Citizens said.RELATED: ICE traffic stops will continue after lethal shootings — but only under certain conditions De-ICE Citizens Bank activists said they would continue to seek concessions from the bank."This is a huge victory, but the fight isn't over," the group said. "We're calling on Citizens to publicly commit in the next 10 days to ending any and all current and future banking relationships with CoreCivic, GEO Group, and every other private prison company. This is the standard their peer banks have already met."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Police in Madison, Wisconsin, fatally shot a male who a pulled knife and injured an officer amid an arrest Wednesday afternoon, the police chief said — and the incident has sparked protests.Social media video of the shooting went viral, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, adding that some Wisconsin politicians have criticized police. ABC News said the fatally shot male was black.'It's an absolute tragedy when a member of our community is killed by anyone, but especially by the police.'Madison Police Chief John Patterson said there is no bodycam video of the shooting since no frontline officers have body cameras, the paper reported.The fatally shot male was suspected of stealing bicycles and attempting to enter unlocked cars, the paper said, adding that when police located him, he fled on a bicycle.Multiple officers tried to restrain and arrest the male, and a struggle occurred at the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin Streets around 1:35 p.m., the paper said.Chief Patterson at a Wednesday news conference said the male drew a knife and injured one officer during the arrest attempt, and the officer then shot and killed the male, the paper reported.Officials have not publicly identified the fatally shot male, the paper added, only saying that he was in his 30s.RELATED: 'Eye for an eye': Support soars for father charged with murdering deputy just 1 day after different cop shot his son dead More from the Journal Sentinel:Videos of the attempted arrest and shooting, reviewed and verified by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, showed three officers struggling with the man. Officers can be heard yelling "he's got a knife." Another officer approaches and shouts "Taser" and attempts to use a stun gun on the man, who appears to fall over or is pulled down by an officer. As the man is on the ground, one of the officers shoots the man three times and another officer briefly covers her mouth with her hand. Officers subsequently can be seen attempting to tend to the man.The paper said state Rep. Francesca Hong — a lifelong Madison resident and leading candidate in the Democratic primary field for governor — criticized the shooting and stood with others at the shooting scene Wednesday evening."I am horrified and devastated," she said in a statement posted to social media, the Journal Sentinel said. "This was an execution, and it never should have happened."Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, also a Democrat running for governor, said in a statement he was horrified by the shooting and likened it to prior police shootings in Kenosha and Minneapolis, the paper said."Each incident reopens deep wounds, raises difficult questions, and reminds us of the urgent work that remains to build trust, transparency, and accountability in our systems," Crowley said, according to the Journal Sentinel.Democrat Gov. Tony Evers — who endorsed Crowley days ago — asked protesters to remain peaceful and respectful, the paper said.RELATED: Ferguson cop attacked at Michael Brown protest, suffers 'severe brain injury' and is 'fighting for his life,' police say "There must be transparency and accountability in any investigation moving forward," Evers said in an X post, the paper said. "We will continue to keep the loved ones and family of the individual who was killed in our hearts and prayers. His life mattered."Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, also a Democrat, said in a statement she was angered and saddened by the shooting, the Journal Sentinel reported."There is real pain in our city right now," the mayor said, according to the paper. "It's an absolute tragedy when a member of our community is killed by anyone, but especially by the police."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

I was having lunch in a local tavern the other day, when Randy Travis’ 1987 country hit “Forever and Ever, Amen” came on the jukebox.Wow! That song sounds as good as it did 40 years ago! Maybe better!Why is it that some things have a timeless quality and other things don’t?My friends and I often argue about if a song, or a book, or a TV show “holds up”? Does it still retain that original freshness and quality it seemed to have when it first appeared?Of course, when you’re young, you’re not the best judge of artistic quality. You absorb whatever you see or hear around you. You like this song or that TV show, but it’s not based on anything substantial. When you get older, you notice that some of the stuff you liked as a kid was not very good.Think of all the bad music you listened to in your parents' car growing up. Or the terrible TV shows you watched when you were 10. Nobody’s watching reruns of "The Six Million Dollar Man" or "Kung Fu" nowadays, two TV shows I loved as a kid.Poser punksA couple of years ago, I spent an evening at a college friend’s house where we went through his extensive collection of old punk records. It was many decades past the prime of punk rock, and a lot of the more outrageous punk music sounded pretty stupid. It didn’t “hold up.” We liked it at the time. But we would never listen to it now. In some cases, you could tell the musicians were just playing at being punk. They had the goofy sunglasses, spiky hair, simplistic music. They were imitating more than creating. They didn’t actually address what the real punk kids were feeling. There was an authenticity problem. You can’t be great if you’re just following the latest trend.RELATED: I was a 'problem student' — until all-male Catholic school let me be a boy Alex_Bond/Bettman/Getty Images'Hey, I used to like that song!'My college friend and I unearthed a 7” single by a local new wave band we had liked when we lived in Boston. These guys had good songs. A good sound. A good stage presence. Their single was genuinely catchy and played regularly on our college radio station.But when we put that same single on years later, it wasn’t good. It sounded cheesy and embarrassing. It was dated. It sounded a lot like another Boston band, The Cars, who were also very popular around the same time. The Cars songs are also dated and a little bit cheesy, but they still sound great on the radio. They sound classic. So what did The Cars have that the other band lacked? Talent? Presence? Craftsmanship? Why is it that some things have a timeless quality and other things don’t?Scantily cladI think about current pop music. There seems to be a new “pop star” every week. These are mostly singers and mostly young women. People like Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter. They come and go so fast, you can barely remember their names. Most of their music is made by highly paid music producers. These people know how to make hit records. All the girls have to do is sing and look cute.Even country music, which tends to reward quality over slickness, has become so popular that there is a certain disposability there as well. There are a lot of “one-hit wonders," just like in the pop world. Morgan Wallen is one country star who seems to have staying power. He sounds fresh and original, but you can hear the echoes of classic country in his songs. Also, his attempted cancellation, back in 2021, has given him an underdog status among fans. Talent on loan from GodBut beyond politics, beyond competing styles and industry trends, there is GOD-GIVEN TALENT. Which is where legendary singers like Randy Travis come in. Of course, Travis fans know about his struggles outside of music. They understand the pressures and temptations of being so good at something that you become world-famous. Travis has definitely had his ups and downs.But oh, if you could have heard “Forever and Ever, Amen” coming out of that jukebox! Here was a song that was once a No. 1 radio hit, but now sounds like a timeless American classic.Randy Travis, we salute you, brother! Especially on a hot summer day, in the cool darkness of a half-empty tavern. YOU HOLD UP. And we appreciate it!