More bomb threats hit Springfield, Ohio, after Trump elevates false claims about Haitians | Ohio | The Guardian

Two hospitals in Springfield, Ohio, were sent into lockdown after bomb threats, police said Saturday, marking the fourth such case in as many days that appears linked to false claims circulating among the far right that Haitian immigrants there are eating domestic pets and wildlife.

Saturday’s threats came even after the woman who started the rumors acknowledged to NBC News that they were unfounded and publicly apologized.

Kettering Health Springfield was one of the medical facilities targeted, with officials later saying they found nothing suspicious during a search. Another hospital, Mercy Health’s Springfield regional medical center, received a similar threat.

A spokesperson with Mercy Health said the hospital has continued to operate and thanked Springfield police as well as hospital staff “for their swift, efficient and caring response”.

On Friday, a Springfield woman, Erika Lee, apologized for rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets that resulted from a post she wrote on Facebook claiming that the friend of a neighbor’s daughter lost her cat – and then found the animal strung up outside the home of a Haitian family.

Lee now says she had no firsthand knowledge of the claim. The neighbor referenced in the post, Kimberly Newton, revealed that she also had heard the story from an acquaintance and not her daughter.

Source: More bomb threats hit Springfield, Ohio, after Trump elevates false claims about Haitians | Ohio | The Guardian

The Story of Esther Jones, aka Baby Esther, the Inspiration for Betty Boop ~ Vintage Everyday

Jones’s bookings and profile got huge after Lou Bolton took over as her manager in 1924. A 1928 Variety story praised her performance at the Everglades Nightclub in NYC when she was seven and went by stage names such as Baby Esther, Li’l Esther, Little Esther, Young Florence Mills, Second Florence Mills, and Miniature Florence Mills. Esther was paid $750 a week at 11 years old while performing in Europe. She became the highest-paid child performer in the world.
The cartoon character Betty Boop debuted in 1930 at Fleischer Studios in Hollywood. Even though a lawsuit ultimately revealed Betty Boop’s true roots, Esther did not get any credit for it. Ironically, the claim was filed by Helen Kane, a white performer, against Fleischer Studios. Kane began imitating Jones’ scat performance, and during the Fleischer Studios v. Kane trial, it was discovered that she even sang the song “I Want to Be Loved By You” with the “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” reference. Other studios felt bold enough to promote the Betty Boop character after Kane lost the lawsuit, but they did not credit Jones as the creator.

Source: The Story of Esther Jones, aka Baby Esther, the Inspiration for Betty Boop ~ Vintage Everyday