Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees go under the microscope in a frenzied week on Capitol Hill starting Tuesday, as US senators hold confirmation hearings that could make or break their political careers. Thirteen nominees will be grilled before 11 committees, and while many will sail through, others face controversies ranging from alleged sexual assault and heavy drinking to their relationships with dictators and vaccine skepticism. One of the first on the docket will be one of the most controversial, Pete Hegseth, the former Army National Guard officer and ex-Fox News host nominated for secretary of defense.
This story originally appeared on France24
Trump's controversial pick for defence secretary faces crucial US Senate hearing
American #TikTokrefugees flood Chinese social media app ahead of ban | Science, Climate & Tech News
US TikTok users are flooding to a popular Chinese social media app ahead of America’s looming ban, using the hashtag #TikTokrefugees.
RedNote, which is similar to Instagram, has quickly become the most downloaded app on the US App Store in recent days.
The app is hugely popular in Mandarin-speaking countries and has more than 300 million monthly active users, according to Bloomberg.
The homepage of the app is full of Mandarin speakers welcoming Americans and Americans introducing themselves.
“I’m American. Do y’all like us? We know y’all not the enemy. Can we all be friends?” reads one post with nearly 3,000 comments.
The replies are a combination of people asking about specific English American phrases like “y’all”, welcoming the US contingent and making jokes about stealing data.
“If you give me all your data we can get along,” said one reply, a jokey reference to the US’ concerns around national security and TikTok.
Users who don’t speak Mandarin must agree to privacy notices and terms and conditions they can’t read, which is prompting some security concerns.
In Taiwan, public officials are banned from using RedNote due to the alleged security risks of Chinese software, which is similar to a UK ban of TikTok on government devices.
As it stands, TikTok will be banned in the US from Sunday, unless the Supreme Court overturns the law this week.
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Congress passed a law last year that meant Bytedance, TikTok’s Chinese owners, would either have to sell the company or it would be banned.
That has sparked the mass migration to RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, with that ban coming into force in under a week.
However, social media expert Adam Tinworth told Sky News there may be a problem with US citizens trying to replace TikTok with another Chinese social media site.
“The legislation that Biden got through the House has, although it specifically names TikTok and Bytedance, provisions where the government can unilaterally apply the same process to any other hostile-foreign-power owned-service.
“So if it ends up everything on TikTok migrating to RedNote, then in theory, depending on how the Trump administration feel about it, [they] could just apply that same legislation straight away to rednote and shut it down equally easily.”
This story originally appeared on Skynews
This skateboarding economist suggests we need more skateparks and less capitalism : Planet Money : NPR
A young skateboarder riding in front of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero in San Francisco California.
Adam Hester/Getty Images
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Adam Hester/Getty Images
“The Skateboarding Ethic and the Spirit of Anti-Capitalism.” That was the title of an unusual paper presented at the annual meeting of American economists this year. The title was clearly a reference to a famous 1905 book by German sociologist and economist Max Weber, The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. And I really wanted to know what this economist was going to argue, and, even more, who he was.
This year’s economics conference was spread out across hotels around San Francisco’s Union Square. On the first day of the conference, it was raining hard, and I ran from my hotel to another one down the street to see this paper be presented.
Sopping wet, I entered a small, basement conference room before the presentations began. “Is this where the skateboarding paper is being presented?” I asked the room.
Sure enough, a Gen Xer with baggy blue jeans, Vans skate shoes, and a tweed blazer with elbow pads — the only fashion item that screamed “I’m an academic” — stood up and turned around. “Yes, I’m presenting the skateboarding paper here,” he said.
This tweed-jacketed, Vans-wearing man was Thomas Kemp. He’s an economist at The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Kemp says he’s been skateboarding for 40 years, and he continues to skate every day he can (it gets harder to skate during Wisconsin’s winters, so Kemp says he snow skates as well).
For a long time, Kemp published pretty standard economic papers. Papers with titles like, “The Impact of Water Clarity on Home Prices in Northwestern Wisconsin” and “Estimation of product price elasticity of demand.”
“When I was a graduate student, I was actually going to write about skateboarding, but I was told ‘that’s not a good idea,'” Kemp says. But Kemp is more established now. In fact, he’s the chair of his economics department, so he’s more willing to ollie onto the topics he’s the most passionate about.
Kemp’s transformation began a few years back, when he discovered the burgeoning academic literature on skateboarding. “I was just blown away, like, ‘Wow, people are doing academic work on skateboarding,'” Kemp says. And that’s when he did his 180 kickflip.
“ I literally dropped everything else I was working on and started writing papers on skateboarding,” Kemp says.
The Value of Skateparks
Kemp has now published a series of economic papers about skateboarding. One paper, recently published in The Journal of Economic Analysis, is titled “Shred Central: Estimating the user benefits associated with large public skateparks.” Kemp estimated the consumer benefits of the Lauridsen Skatepark in Des Moines, Iowa. At 88,000 square feet, it’s the largest skatepark in the United States.
One of the issues with the economics of skateparks is they’re generally free to use, which makes it difficult to figure out how much they’re actually worth. This is a common problem for public goods, like parks, beaches, rec centers, and so on. Determining the value of a skatepark is important to figure out whether, for example, communities should build more skateparks, and how big and tricked-out those skateparks should be. Despite the popularity of the sport — estimates suggest there may be as many as 9 million skateboarders in the US — “public resources devoted to skateboarding lag far beyond other leisure activities such as softball, tennis, or soccer,” Kemp writes.
Kemp argues that the distance skaters (and BMXers, roller bladers, and other recreationists) are willing to travel to go to the skatepark provides a good way to estimate the value of it. Traveling requires time and money, so the distance users are willing to travel provides an indication of how much they think a skatepark is worth.
In “Shred Central,” Kemp surveyed skateboarders at Lauridsen Skatepark, and found they “will travel great distances at significant cost to ride a park of high perceived quality.” Crunching numbers on use of the park and travel distance, Kemp estimates that the user benefits of this skatepark are “$61 per user per day and roughly $488,000 annually.” This high estimate for the value of the skatepark suggests that there’s a shortage of high-quality skateparks around the country and that community leaders should build more of them. Rad!
“The Skateboarding Ethic and the Spirit of Anti-Capitalism”
In his 1905 book, The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber argued that Protestant Christianity, especially Calvinism, promoted ethics, like thrift and hard work, that helped nurture the birth of capitalism and rapid economic growth in Northern Europe.
Like Protestants, skateboarders, Kemp argues, have their own set of ethics that can affect their economic lives. And, in Kemp’s view, these ethics can come into conflict with capitalism. For example, skateboarders are known to skate on private property and in front of businesses in search of cool, skateable features. It’s one reason why community leaders have been building skateparks: to encourage skaters to skate in sanctioned areas that are less disruptive to business.
Kemp sees a similar process in history with stickball and baseball. During his presentation, Kemp showed a picture of baseball legend Willie Mays playing stickball in the street when he was young. Like with skateboarding, Kemp says, many leaders saw stickball as a nuisance that disrupted commerce. Kids would shut down streets and disrupt traffic to play the game. They would hit balls and dent cars and break windows. This “irritation to commerce,” Kemp suggests, inspired communities to start building baseball diamonds in community parks and institutionalize the game into more organized and less disruptive baseball leagues.
Willie Mays playing stick ball with Harlem kids.
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“The drive towards creating skateparks appears to me to be on a similar trajectory to what we saw with stickball into baseball,” he says. “That said, we’re now 50-plus years into skateboarding history, and so far, skateboarding seems to be relatively immune from that institutionalization. It’s just as common to see kids skateboarding out in the streets as it is in a skatepark, perhaps even more so.”
Kemp was the last person to present a paper during this particular conference session. The paper presented before him was much less fun, highlighting physical and mental health problems plaguing our society, including the rise of depression, anxiety, and deaths of despair. The author blamed our economic and health systems, which “prioritizes profits over people’s health,” for making these problems worse.
In important ways, skateboarding is a product of capitalism. For decades, for-profit companies have developed and manufactured better skate decks, trucks, and wheels. They’ve marketed the sport. They’ve popularized it. They’ve made it more accessible. Kemp acknowledges that. But he also sees ethics within the culture of skateboarding that can help people overcome the challenges they may face in our capitalist society.
The skateboarding ethic, Kemp says, is “an ethic of resiliency. I fall, I get up, I do it again.” It’s an ethic of “self-betterment. The skateboarder is always trying to do another trick. They’re trying to do the trick better with more style. They’re trying to do it in different places. They’re comparing themselves to their past selves and not necessarily other skateboarders.” And it’s an ethic that isn’t really concerned with competition with others. Skateboarding, he says, is a non-zero sum game. “In other words, if I do the trick, it doesn’t matter that the other skateboarder didn’t do the trick. I’m not in competition with them. I don’t win, they lose, or I lose, they win. No, we’re all winning — hopefully — compared to our previous selves.”
Skateboarding, Kemp suggests, can help us become more resilient. It can help us build more pride in ourselves. It can help us fight isolation and build community. And it can help us exercise, alleviate stress, find joy, and escape the 9-5 grind.
“Skateboarding has something to show us about living life in these challenging times that we find ourselves in,” Kemp says.
Kemp’s presentation, appropriately, took place in San Francisco, which is widely recognized as one of the best and most hardcore skateboarding cities in the world. Skaters here are known to “bomb” hills like daredevils, reaching high speeds and doing incredible tricks. And the city has really come to embrace skateboarding. For example, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art currently has a skateboarding exhibit called “Unity Through Skateboarding” (which, apparently, my son and wife really enjoyed while I was attending this conference).
“San Francisco is legendary,” Kemp said. “Of course, this is a work trip. But, hopefully, I’ll get some skating in while I’m here.”
This story originally appeared on NPR
Column: After years of helping the homeless, he’s one of them after Altadena fire destroys his house
His job, for more than a decade, has been to steer homeless people into housing.
Last week, social worker Anthony Ruffin lost his home.
On Monday morning, still reeling five days after the Eaton fire destroyed much of Altadena, Ruffin, 56, sipped coffee at a Glendale diner, wiped his eyes, and described the historic Black neighborhood where he has spent much of his life.
“I’d take walks, knock on doors, say ‘hi’ to people’s moms…go to people’s houses and grab a sandwich from their mother,” Ruffin recalled. “ ‘Miss Lee, how you doing? Miss Phillips, can you make me a Seven-Up cake like you used to when I was young? Hi Mr. King.’ Robert, across the street—I’d sit there for hours and talk to him.”
Ruffin grew up in a two-bed, one-bath house on West Palm Street, just above West Altadena Street between Lincoln and Fair Oaks avenues, which he later bought from his parents. As someone who confronts so much suffering on a daily basis as part of his job, Ruffin established a morning ritual in which he’d wake up early and sit in the yard, gaze up at the San Gabriel Mountains, and listen to birds, all the while surrounded by plants he’d named for homeless clients to whom he’d become particularly attached.
“It was my safe place,” he said.
Anthony Ruffin, Sieglinde Von Deffner, and Jeanette Rowe, left to right, talk while people arrive for COVID-19 vaccinations at Leimert Park Plaza.
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times)
Early on the morning of Jan. 8, Ruffin and his wife Jonni Miller — who is also a longtime social worker serving the homeless community — had to evacuate without time to collect precious possessions.
Handwritten letters, written to Miller by her grandmother on the day she was born, were left behind.
So were the decommissioned cellphones, seven of them, on which Ruffin stored photos of hundreds of clients, along with contact information and notes thanking him for his help.
Hours later, they learned that the home and everything in it was incinerated, along with much of their block and neighborhood.
“It’s terrible,” a tearful Ruffin told me near the hotel where he and Miller are staying as they try to collect themselves.
Ruffin and I met more than a dozen years ago, when he was with a nonprofit called Housing Works Hollywood. He served as case manager for my friend Nathaniel Ayers, the Julliard-trained musician who was homeless in Skid Row and became known as “The Soloist.”
Those of us who know Mr. Ayers have safeguarded some of his possessions, including various musical instruments. Ruffin told me he’s been holding onto a pair of Ayers’ drumsticks for years.
Last week, they were lost in the fire.
At Housing Works, Ruffin’s mentor was Mollie Lowery, a legendary social worker who had also assisted Ayers, and whose motto in helping clients was adopted by Ruffin — “whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.”
In 2017, Times photographer Francine Orr and I profiled Ruffin and his work with the Hollywood 14, a gravely disabled group of homeless people with severe physical and mental illness. His regulars included amputees, diabetics and drug addicts. “Some are partially paralyzed,” I wrote, and “many are ghosts, their former selves barely visible in the shadows of unrelenting psychosis.”
The evening sun shines through the scorched remains of the Altadena Community Church on Jan. 11, 2025.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Ruffin routinely rolled out on weekends and in the middle of the night — as he still does — to check on his clients. He would kneel down on the pavement and look them in the eye, ferry them to appointments, visit them in hospitals, work tirelessly to earn their trust and try to get them into housing.
Ruffin said his desire to become a social worker had a lot to do with his biological father’s struggles and homelessness. Ruffin said he wasn’t close to his father until the last years of his life, when his dad worked in downtown L.A. as a legal briefs courier. They ultimately built a belated but “beautiful relationship,” Ruffin said, telling me his father carried a briefcase that contained a copy of my story about his son the social worker.
In 1976, Ruffin was 8 when he and his mother, Myrtle Williams, moved to the Altadena home that had been purchased in 1972 by his stepfather, Carl Williams, who was a truck driver from Texas who’d found that while certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles were off-limits to Black people, the west side of Altadena was a safe haven.
“We played football in the streets, played baseball in the streets, went to school on the corner,” Ruffin said of his childhood.
The house was often full, he continued, with assorted relatives who needed a place to stay for a little while or maybe longer.
“It was a happy time, because there was a lot of love in that house and people just slept where they slept,” Ruffin said. “If you fell asleep in the living room on the couch, or on the floor, or in the bunk beds…that was where you slept. And there was room under the bunk beds, so someone slept there.”
Ruffin said it was not uncommon for Black men in the neighborhood, when they approached the end of their lives, to insist on taking their last breaths in their own homes. They had known segregation and housing discrimination and struggled to find jobs that paid enough for them to buy property and raise families, Ruffin said, and “they wanted to die in the homes that they built.”
The Eaton fire destroyed this school bus parked outside Altadena’s Aveson Charter School, which burned down on Jan. 11, 2025.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
His mother and stepfather decided instead, upon Carl Williams’ retirement, to move to Hesperia. But still, they wanted to keep the house in the family. So Ruffin bought it from them two decades ago and set out to renovate it, careful not to alter the layout or remodel the house, but to preserve it, as a tribute to all the sweat and love his parents had invested in it.
“I worked two jobs to hold onto that property, because I knew how much it meant to my family,” Ruffin said Monday, pausing as he brushed away tears. “We really fixed the house up and got it looking really decent.”
Ruffin said his mother and stepfather, now 76 and 83, “are devastated” by the destruction. So are all the neighbors whose hearts were crushed as their foothill haven vanished.
“I’ve talked to all of them,” Ruffin said. “Talked to Miss Lee. Talked to Miss Douglas, who can’t stop crying.”
Ruffin and Miller also lost one of their two cats and two chickens. When they fled, they managed to gather up their adopted, one-eyed cat, Maple, (who had once been homeless in South L.A.), and their rescue dog, Nan (a Skid Row stray).
On Jan. 13, with their lives upended and their immediate future uncertain, Miller, who, like her husband, works on Skid Row for the County Department of Health Services, was back at work. Ruffin was taking a day off that was shaping up like many of his other days off.
“I gotta meet up with somebody today who’s homeless and try to help him get into housing,” Ruffin said of a Skid Row client. “I also did that on Friday. I gotta help somebody, every day…I got my own problems, but I’m fortunate. So many of the people down there on Skid Row are dealing with addiction and homelessness and don’t have some of the resources I have. I mean, I got a motel room right now, and they don’t have that.”
Ruffin, like so many others who lost homes in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, was also busy sorting through insurance matters and temporary housing options. He has no idea what insurance will cover or what starting over will cost, so he set up a gofundme page and said he intents to share the proceeds with neighbors.
But he knows exactly what the long-range plan is. He wants to rebuild, to the same dimensions, in the same spot.
“There’s too much history there,” he said. “I want exactly the same thing. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
steve.lopez@latimes.com
This story originally appeared on LA Times
Stretch to fit iPad mini for less
Mobile gamers rejoice, the Abxylute S9 is an affordable controller that can stretch to fit your cased iPhone or iPad mini with a powerful set of customization features.
A controller manufacturer called Abxylute has finally built the perfect mobile gaming controller for iPhone and iPad mini owners. If all it did was stretch to fit an iPad mini and cost under $100, that would be enough, but it’s so much more than that.
The Abxylute S9 is a wraparound controller that connects to the iPhone or iPad mini over USB-C while gripping it from either side. The end result is a mobile gaming solution similar to a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
Until recently, these kinds of controllers only supported the iPhone or Android smartphones. Manufacturers are finally adapting their controllers to fit tablets, but Abxylute has taken it a step further with a range of customization options.
Today, the Abxylute S9 is the best all-around controller for mobile gamers. It checks all the boxes, plus some I didn’t realize I wanted in a gaming controller.
Abxylute S9 review — Design
If you had to do a double take when looking at the Abxylute S9, don’t worry, I did too. At first glance, it appears to be very similar to the GameSir Galileo G8 I reviewed previously — down to the removable faceplates and programmable buttons.
There are enough design differences that show this is a unique controller that was perhaps developed in parallel. It happens a lot with modern companies that source parts and concepts from similar sources. Look at Kuxiu and Lululook and their iPad stands, for example.
The Abxylute S9 is black with purple accents on the joysticks and textured surfaces on the grips and the device holder. The faceplate can be removed, and the joysticks and D-pad can be swapped out.
There are plenty of buttons with standard ABXY face buttons, a screenshot button, a home button, an M programming button, and an alternative app button. These all play similar functions depending on the function mode in use.
The grip-style controller pulls apart to fit an iPhone or iPad mini, stretching to 216mm in length. The grips and button layout make it a full-sized controller, so more easily grippable than something like the miniature Backbone One.
An interesting inclusion here is that the USB-C port is extended a bit so it can reach deep into iPhone or iPad cases for the USB-C port. Other controllers that lack this require users to remove the case.
Abxylute S9 controller review: a handy hidden sticker with shortcuts
Abxylute included a sticker with button shortcuts that fits inside the controller that appears when the grips are separated. I love this since every company has its own button combinations to achieve different tasks, and I usually find myself searching for a manual online.
Abxylute S9 review — Features
There are a lot of customization options on the controller and within the app. Pair that with Apple’s built-in button remapping function, and you’ve got all kinds of options.
Using the M button, press up and down on the D-pad to adjust the haptics. “Resident Evil 4” on iPad mini supports these haptics, and they work great.
Abxylute S9 controller review: control several features with the M button
There is a 6-axis gyro, but I’m not sure it would be used natively in any iOS games, but there is a setting to turn it into the input for the right joystick. It can also control a cursor if the game supports it.
There are hall effect joysticks and triggers, which means they are actuated using magnets and aren’t prone to sticking and drift issues. There’s also the ability to turn on quick trigger in the app settings.
The face buttons are quiet but still pleasant to click. It meets an ideal middle between feedback and noise level.
Like the Galileo G8, there are two buttons that can be programmed to copy one of the face buttons. It’s useful in some games where you might want both thumbs on the joysticks but need to hit B at the same time.
Abxylute S9 controller review: connect to a power source and use Bluetooth
The controller works great paired to an iPhone or iPad mini, but it works on other devices. You can enter Bluetooth mode with a double press of the M button, then pair to an iPad Pro, Apple Vision Pro, Mac mini, or other Bluetooth-compatible device.
The controller won’t power on without a device inserted or cable attached since there isn’t an internal battery. So, as long as there’s a power source, it can pair to almost anything, eliminating the need for a second controller in your bag for an iPad Pro.
Since the USB-C connector communicates using a standard wired communication to the connected device, you can always just hijack that connection with an extension cable. A direct connection with an adapter or hub from the controller to another device works, but it is silly-looking.
iPad mini shouldn’t be ignored
Wraparound controllers for iPhone and iPad used to be a rarity — pioneered and mostly sold by Gamevice at first. Then a rush of these controllers flooded the market, most notably Backbone One.
Abxylute S9 controller review: spacers let iPad mini sit more comfortably in the grips
However, the modern run of controllers focused entirely on the iPhone. GameVice tried one last release with a giant Lightning-based controller for the base iPad, but it was too unwieldy and never made the transition to USB-C.
Razer Kishi Ultra was the first to attempt dual support for USB-C iPhone and iPad mini, but it ran $150 and made some awkward choices. I already mentioned the entry from GameSir that was close to being great, but supported only iPhone.
Then finally, I caught wind of Abxylute S9. This controller takes the GameSir G8 Galileo design and refines it, expands it to support iPad mini, adds Bluetooth, and enables deep controller customization through an app.
I believe that the iPad mini, especially in its current seventh-generation iteration, is the perfect mobile gaming form factor. The iPhone 16 Pro has an amazing display and chipset to be sure, but exhausting your smartphone battery for games isn’t always wise.
I like the idea of having a dedicated gaming device like a Gameboy, or now the modern Analogue Pocket. Products like these have made a big resurgence thanks to devices like the Steam Deck.
Abxylute S9 controller review: deep customization options in the app
However, I’m not a PC gamer and don’t have much interest in going that direction. Instead, I like mobile gaming through the App Store, emulators, and streaming from the PlayStation 5.
The iPad mini is perfect for that. The A17 Pro used in the iPad mini 7 makes it a great gaming machine capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing in games like “Resident Evil 4” and “Death Stranding.”
So, since the Abxylute S9 can physically connect to the iPhone and iPad mini, it’s a good all-in-one solution. You don’t need different controllers for each device.
Using the Abxylute S9
There’s not much to say that I haven’t already.
I wish there were more faceplates available beyond the black ones that are included or a blue set on the Abxylute website. I hope there are more options after the S9 is properly launched.
Abxylute S9 controller review: play all kinds of games from emulators to native iPad ones
There needs to be a way to change the lights and brightness from the Abxylute app. They are not too bright now, but I’d prefer the ability to turn them off entirely sometimes.
The buttons feel great, the joysticks and triggers are responsive, and the app is actually useful, at least for settings. It fails as a launcher since it doesn’t support most of the games I try to add to it, as of publication anyway.
Abxylute put a lot of thought into the controller and it seems to understand what mobile gamers are looking for. A second-generation model that has a battery enabling about 10 hours on Bluetooth and I believe it would be a perfect device.
Abxylute S9 controller review: playing DS emulators with the iPad mini as the bottom screen
I’ve been playing a lot of Delta emulator with Abxylute S9 and iPad mini 7. The Nintendo DS option where the top screen is shown via AirPlay on a TV is excellent, and Abxylute transforms the experience into something similar to Wii U.
It’s a great time to be a gamer that uses iPhone or iPad. The move to USB-C made things even better, and I’m happy to see so much competition in the field.
If Apple still used Lightning, this controller wouldn’t exist for Apple platforms.
Stretch to fit
It’s exciting to see game controller manufacturers continue to innovate for mobile devices. The slow evolution of grip controllers, their spring mechanism, and handle style has allowed several great options to emerge.
Abxylute S9 controller review: fits an iPad mini and select Android tablets up to 9 inches
Abxylute has a lot of great ideas that will usher in a new wave of competition in the space. Stretching to accommodate iPhones and tablets is nice, but it’s not the endpoint.
Some have ventured to modify such controllers to fit even the 13-inch iPad Pro. Official support from manufacturers should be the next goal, even if it is a niche market.
For now, the Abxylute S9 offers the best range of support, customization, and comfort for a great price. It’s hard to find fault in the controller even though potential future updates are predictable.
Abxylute S9 – Pros
- Fit iPad mini and iPhone, even with a case
- Bluetooth option makes the controller more universal
- Changeable face plates, joysticks, and D-pad
- In-depth customization options in app
- Small touches like extra padding to prevent iPad button presses and hidden sticker with button combinations
- Competitive sub-$100 price
Abxylute S9 – Cons
- Lack of alternate faceplate options at launch
- Requires a power source like a cable or attached device to enter Bluetooth mode
- The app isn’t a great game launcher
Rating: 5 out of 5
It’s tough to get a 5 out of 5 but the combination of iPad mini support, excellent build, price, and Bluetooth can’t be beat. There’s nothing on the market like it today.
Where to buy the Abxylute S9
Order the Abxylute S9 for $79.99, a temporary $20 discount from the $99 retail price. Additional holiday discounts bring the total price down to $71.10.
The controller is also available from Amazon for $84, discounted $5 by using the on-page coupon.
This story originally appeared on Appleinsider
Justin Gaethje confirms plans to fight Dan Hooker at UFC 313 in March
The last time we saw Justin Gaethje in the cage he was face down on the canvas after being the recipient of the 2024 Knockout of the Year care of Max Holloway at UFC 300. That was all the way back in April, and finally “The Highlight” is talking firm plans of a return.
Gaethje confirmed reports in a new YouTube video that he’s training for a fight against Dan Hooker on March 8th at UFC 313. No contract is signed yet, but that’s not unusual these days.
“So there’s no official fight signed,” Gaethje prefaced. “But I told the UFC maybe two, three months ago that March was the day I was looking for. I know there’s a fight March 8th in Las Vegas so that’s the one I told them I wanted to be on. I think they’re figuring out fights right now but I’m certainly mentally preparing, physically preparing to fight on that date.”
“So that puts us eight and a half weeks out which means it’s really gonna be here in the blink of an eye when it comes down to things, time flies. Coming off a knockout, I’m really excited to get back to training. When you take a loss like that and you’re as competitive as I am, then it lights a fire under your ass, so we’re back to it, back in the swing of things, and back to getting ready for a specific date, a specific opponent.”
“I think it’s gonna be Dan Hooker,” Gaethje said. “But you know, with the UFC things can always change. But that’s what I’m preparing for again, mentally, physically, for that fight March 8th.”
Gaethje is 3-3 over his last six with those losses coming to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and Max Holloway. Two of those bouts were (legit) title fights, and Justin still ranks at the top of the lightweight division at No. 3. If Hooker ends up being his opponent like Gaethje believes he’ll be, “Hangman” will look to build on his three fight win streak, the last win coming against Mateusz Gamrot that propelled him all the way up to No. 6 at 155.
Like a turtle in a tree? We’ll found out at UFC 313, if the UFC ends up sending out contracts to Gaethje and Hooker. It’s a great fight, so let’s hope it comes together.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
Is Carrie Underwood Performing at Trump’s Inauguration? Find Out – Hollywood Life
Apparently, Donald Trump‘s second presidential inauguration will include a star-studded performance lineup. A new report claims that country music super star and American Idol judge Carrie Underwood will perform at the January 2025 inauguration. But has the “Before He Cheats” hitmaker commented on the report?
Find out everything we know so far about Carrie and the upcoming inauguration below.
When Is the 2025 Presidential Inauguration?
Trump’s second presidential inauguration is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2025.
Is Carrie Underwood Really Performing at Trump’s Inauguration?
Underwood is apparently performing at Trump’s inauguration. A Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee spokesperson told Fox News that the “Blown Away” artist will sing “America the Beautiful” after J.D. Vance takes his oath as vice president. Shortly thereafter, Trump will take the Oath of Office as president.
Underwood publicly reacted to the news by sharing a statement to the Associated Press, which read, “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”
Throughout her music career, the Oklahoma native has kept her political views private. During a 2019 interview with The Guardian, Underwood said she felt “more people try to pin [her] places politically,” yet she “[tries] to stay far out of politics if possible, at least in public, because nobody wins.”
“Everybody tries to sum everything up and put a bow on it, like it’s black and white. And it’s not like that,” Underwood insisted at the time. She then pointed to speculation over the message of her song “The Bullet,” which some fans believed was about gun control, but it was “more about the lives that were changed by something terrible happening,” Underwood explained to the outlet.
“And it does kind of bug me when people take a song or take something I said and try to pigeonhole or force me to pick a side or something,” the Grammy Award winner noted. “It’s a discussion – a long discussion.”
Who Else Is Performing at Trump’s Inauguration?
Christopher Macchio will perform the national anthem after Trump is sworn into office, according to Newsweek. As seen on his Instagram page, Macchio has performed for and/or attended multiple conservative events.
Other performers include the University of Nebraska-Lincoln combined chorus, which will deliver a musical prelude to the inauguration, and the US Marine Marching Band.
This story originally appeared on Hollywoodlife
Europe’s unreal hidden village with turquoise sea begging for visitors | UK | News
The small Turkish resort is a far cry from the saturated resorts surrounding it (Image: Katie Oborn)
A European village with stunning views also boasts a Blue Flag beach – and it’s hidden away from saturated resorts.
You can still get a feeling of the authentic life in this holiday destination which offers wildlife sightings you may have never seen.
Red squirrels live in the surrounding pine-clad forests along with porcupines and tortoises.
Groups of large wild boars have also been spotted roaming the streets late at night in this still-authentic area.
The Turkish village is surrounded by pine forests and mountains (Image: Katie Oborn)
You may fall in love with stray cats and dogs that also greet you on local streets, but most are well looked after by the residents.
There’s interesting pockets of traditional life and peaceful places to find in this part of Turkey – as well as busier spots saturated with tourists at certain times of year.
Turunç is in the district of Marmaris, but the small resort is a far cry from the saturated resorts surrounding it.
The nearest airport is Dalaman, so you’ll need a transfer to take you to your chosen resort unless you’re hiring a vehicle.
Snaking hairpin roads lead into this relatively unspoilt holiday spot. With views of the crescent-shaped bay as you descend down the Taurus Mountains towards Turunç.
You may spot people selling local produce on the roads leading into Turunç. Villagers from small mountain settlements set up in laybys selling honey, olive oil, herb or fruit and vegetables.
With an all-year-round population of under 2000 local people, this part of Turkey has retained its charm – and the call to prayer from the mosque can be heard in and around Turunç village.
If you’re looking for a more peaceful break than the busier nearby party towns, Turunç is well worth a visit.
The market in Turunç (Image: Katie Oborn)
The natural environment here has been preserved, despite huge resorts springing up around the old fishing village.
It’s where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea, which sits within the Turkish Riviera – also commonly known as the Turquoise Coast.
This part of southwest Turkey is vast – with much to explore in Turunç and beyond.
A colourful market in the heart of Turunç village is a must-see, it’s tucked away in a residential area and you can buy herbs and spices, Turkish delight, clothes and souvenirs.
Turunç is in the Turkish Riviera – also commonly known as the Turquoise Coast. (Image: Katie Oborn)
It’s also easy to head down to the harbour for numerous boat trips that take you far and wide – or just into the next resort. There are also pirate-themed boat trips in peak season.
Turunç is just along the coast from the busier resort of Icmeler (İçmeler), which is easily accessible via a boat trip.
Icmeler itself has a hidden-away old town along with a huge stretch of beach with many bars and restaurants to visit on a day trip.
Closer still is the small bay of Amos – next to Turunç, it’s a 45-minute walk or a ten-minute drive away – and a restaurant is located right on the shore there.
On the main stretch of shops and restaurants in Turunç one small eatery, the Turunc Bistro offers friendly vibes and traditional – or more English-themed food.
But if you wander away from the main street you’ll find a traditional bakery, Bozbaşak Unlu Mamulleri, selling tasty treats.
Just along from the bakery is top-rated TripAdvisor restaurant, Antik Restoran – run by a local family.
You can really get away from it all at Loryma Resort Hotel which is nestled in the mountains. A recent TripAdvisor review describes this place as a “quiet jewel in the Med” – and a free shuttle bus will transport you over and back to Turunç village.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
‘Rurouni Kenshin’ Reboot Samurai Anime Streaming on Netflix This February
For a medium that was created in Japan, and often pulls from the country’s folklore, mythology, and history, anime about samurai are surprisingly few and far between. Samurai warriors, Ronin, with their signature armor and katanas, all feature heavily across the medium, albeit alongside supernatural forces, magic, dark powers, giant mech suits, or all of the above. Of the few historical samurai anime available, there are a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Shinichiro Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo is a classic, but it’s incredibly difficult to find on streaming. But, one of the greatest samurai anime, Rurouni Kenshin, is about to find a new streaming home for new fans to enjoy.
Rurouni Kenshin, written by disgraced writer and artist, Nobuhiro Watsuki, is set in the Meiji era of Japan (1868-1912) and follows Hitokiri Battosai, a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, who abandons that life, starting fresh as a Ronin, and calling himself Kenshin Himura. Rurouni Kenshin has received two anime adaptations so far. The first was released in 1996 to great acclaim from fans, while the reboot anime was released far more recently in 2023. It is this latest version that has found a new streaming home.
Season 1 of Rurouni Kenshin (2023) will stream on Netflix starting Feb. 4. All 24 episodes of the first season will drop at once. The reboot anime received similar praise when it was released two years ago, and the second season is still ongoing (and can be streamed on Crunchyroll). The official plot description reads:
“In the era known as Bakumatsu, there was an ishin assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai; eleven years later he returned as a wandering swordsman, Himura Kenshin.”
‘Rurouni Kenshin’s Legacy
Rurouni Kenshin is one of the most beloved and best-selling manga of all-time. The series stands shoulder-to-shoulder with ’90s classics like Trigun, Sailor Moon, Slam Dunk, and Cowboy Bebop. The manga is the 34th best-selling series of all-time, coming in behind Fairy Tail and Gintama, with approximately 72 million copies sold to-date.
The original 1997 anime is also considered to be a cult classic. While the animation quality leaves a lot to be desired, especially by today’s standards, the incredibly captivating plot and timeless redemption arc has kept fans going back to the original series time and time again.
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‘Ghost of Tsushima’ Is Getting a Small Screen Adaptation… and It Sounds Perfect
The acclaimed action-adventure video game is getting a small screen adaptation alongside ‘John Wick’ director’s movie.
Rurouni Kenshin‘s legacy isn’t without some major controversy, though. We previously mentioned that the creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki, is disgraced, and it is for good reason. In 2017, Watsuki was charged with possession of child pornography, which he later admitted to after being arrested.
In an attempt to make up for Watsuki’s actions, Rurouni Kenshin voice actor, Howard Wang, promised to donate much of his salary from the show to charity. In a statement (via ComicBook.com), he said, “To address the elephant in the room: Yes, I’m fully aware of the crimes of the author, and I do not condone or support those actions in any way. As such, a portion of all my earnings for Kenshin are being donated to charity.”
Rurouni Kenshin
- Release Date
-
July 7, 2023
- Seasons
-
2
- Number of Episodes
-
36+
- Studio
-
Liden Films
- Creator
-
Nobuhiro Watsuki
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
All 8 South Park Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
South Park movies have been an exciting way to expand the iconic adult animated series into some bigger and bolder stories. Following its early success and impact on pop culture, the first South Park movie was released in theaters in 1997 with South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Despite box office success and even an Oscar nomination, it remained the only South Park movie for some time. Now, two decades later more South Park movies are finally being produced. Since 2021, South Park has been contracted to create two movies each year for six years for the streaming platform Paramount+.
The feature-length specials represent a huge format change since South Park debuted over 20 years ago. Though South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut remains the only theatrical release in the franchise to date, the specials have allowed the show to explore topical ideas in long-form ways, making for some of the funniest material the show has ever made. While some South Park movies are better than others, they all capture the fearless humor and clever storytelling the series has become known for.
|
Movie |
Release Date |
|---|---|
|
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut |
June 30, 1999 |
|
South Park: Post COVID |
November 21, 2021 |
|
South Park: Post COVID – The Return of COVID |
December 16, 2021 |
|
South Park: The Streaming Wars |
June 1, 2022 |
|
South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2 |
July 13, 2022 |
|
South Park: Joining the Panderverse |
October 27, 2023 |
|
South Park (Not Suitable for Children) |
December 20, 2023 |
|
South Park: The End of Obesity |
May 24, 2024 |
8
South Park The Streaming Wars
Released On June 1, 2022
Although South Park The Streaming Wars isn’t bad, it simply fails to reach the same level as any other South Park movie. The movie sees Stan and Tolkien set up a boat service to test whether streams across South Park are suitable for supplying water to local residents. The South Park special satirizes the privatization of public goods, climate change, and over-working content creators, continuing the show’s form for taking on current issues. While it does have funny moments, The Streaming Wars suffers from a slow pace and the general absence of the core group of boys being together.
Cartman is usually South Park‘s show-stealer, but his subplot in The Streaming Wars is weak compared to his past exploits. Upset that he’s living in a fast-food stand, Cartman argues with his mom about getting breast implants to attract a rich husband. It’s a joke that wears out quickly and isn’t as clever as Cartman’s previous evil schemes, being a return to the dated low-brow toilet humor of earlier seasons.
Similarly, Randy Marsh’s story is underwhelming, as the movie once again draws from South Park‘s tired Tegridy Farms plot. The Streaming Wars‘ ending and story did continue on after this entry’s sudden ending, but the lack of closure and unanswered questions make it feel incomplete as a standalone movie. Fans of the show will find enough to make it worthwhile, but it pales in comparison to the other South Park movies.
All South Park Movies can be streamed on Paramount +.
7
South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2
Released On July 13, 2022
South Park immediately redeemed itself in South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2, as the sequel marked the return to the franchise roots. The fact that it’s a sequel to the disappointing first Streaming Wars does mean it is somewhat tied down from true greatness, however, South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 was a great ending to the franchise’s 2022 releases.
This movie is also where South Park ends the Tegridy Farms plot, which isn’t the only reason for the sequel earning praise. South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 also expertly makes fun of celebrities who’ve endorsed cryptocurrencies and NFTs, providing the biting commentary mixed with great jokes that long-time viewers have come to expect from the franchise. With the ending of South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 bringing together Karen Marsh, ManBearPig, and Pi Pi — while resolving Cartman’s breast implant arc – the sequel improves on the weaknesses of the first part of the story.
South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 was a step in the right direction for any fans worried about the quality control of the new slate of movies.
South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 and its ending are notable not only for saving the franchise but also for being the movie when South Park dropped trans humor. Indeed, it’s not a perfect movie but it signaled that South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2 was a step in the right direction for any fans worried about the quality control of the new slate of movies.
6
South Park (Not Suitable For Children)
Released On December 20, 2023
The latest entry into the world of South Park movies follows the trend established in previous specials to stream on Paramount+. It clocks in at under an hour and does what South Park does better than almost anyone else, which is poke fun at topical aspects of pop culture. In (Not Suitable for Children), those subjects include social media influencers, OnlyFans, and more specifically, Logan Paul.
The focal point sees the adults of the town grow concerned when a drink called Cred becomes popular due to being pushed by social media influencers and students use it as a status symbol, which is an idea that stems from Logan Paul’s popular Prime drinks. The special’s main subplot involves Randy Marsh starting an OnlyFans page where he sells bottomless photos of himself, to his wife’s disapproval. However, Randy’s inclusion in this special was criticized as it felt out of place and continues a recurring problem that South Park has run into in recent years.
Like most South Park projects, this was met with pretty strong reviews. It was said to be a good satirization though some believe that it didn’t hit quite as hard as it could have. A few fans were left disappointed by the focus on characters like Clyde, Randy, and Tweek instead of the usual suspects, though others found that aspect to be refreshing.
The best bit of reception that (Not Suitable for Children) received was from Logan Paul himself, who was parodied as Logan LeDouche in the project. WWE Superstar Paul took to X to recreate a commercial from the film and thank South Park.
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South Park Not Suitable For Children: 10 Best Jokes & Quotes
The latest South Park special, South Park (Not Suitable for Children), is full of hilarious jokes that definitely aren’t suitable for children.
5
South Park: Joining The Panderverse
Released On October 27, 2023
This South Park movie continues to show the franchise’s talent for poking fun at both sides of an issue. Taking aim at the overuse of the multiverse concept in movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Flash, South Park: Joining the Panderverse introduces a universe in which all the main South Park characters are portrayed as racially diverse women. While Cartman finds himself trapped in this world, he fights to return home while discovering that the cause behind all of this is Kathleen Kennedy and the latest “diverse” Disney projects that have been released.
Part of the problem with Joining the Panderverse is exactly what South Park is mocking in that the multiverse is a bit of a tired concept
Part of the problem with Joining the Panderverse is exactly what South Park is mocking in that the multiverse is a bit of a tired concept and the movie doesn’t find a lot more interesting to say about it. There is also the subplot involving Randy Marsh and his inability to hire a handyman because no one knows how to do anything anymore which doesn’t mesh with the overall story despite having some funny moments. Again, the Randy Marsh problem rears its head despite the character being comedic gold in a lot of cases.
However, the fair and clever take-down of both sides of the “woke” culture is effective with the movie pointing out the lack of substance in companies’ having token diversity while also acknowledging simply shutting down everything as being “woke” is equally lazy. In this way, the movie continues to cement South Park as one of the best satirical voices in comedy.
4
South Park: The End of Obesity
Released On May 24, 2024
Although South Park: The End of Obesity isn’t perfect, it is among the stronger feature-length specials released by the series. The outing sees Cartman learn that he could potentially lose a lot of weight if he used semaglutides like Ozempic, only for the show’s antihero to be crestfallen when he learns that he can’t afford these medications. Surprisingly, Kyle decides to help Cartman out in his quest and the duo are joined by Butters in an attempt to navigate the nightmarish labyrinth that is the American healthcare system. This plot is strong, but the subplots drag the outing down.
Although The End of Obesity’s Cartman storyline is great, the subplot about Randy falling in with a crowd of suburban mothers who misuse semaglutides to look skinny is less witty. This one-joke premise is stretched during the special’s hour-long runtime and never offers much beyond Randy misunderstanding what the moms mean by “Great drugs.”
As weak as these sections are, the revelation that the shady villains trying to stem the use of semgalutides are sugary food mascots is inspired. Tony the Tiger and Captain Crunch assembling in a dark room like mob bosses is one of the special’s best visual gags.
Ultimately, it is tough to dislike The End of Obesity even though South Park fails to go for the jugular in its condemnation of America’s failing healthcare system. Kenny’s death in The End of Obesity proves that this special is something of a throwback to the looser, sillier tone of the show’s early seasons. In this regard, the special is a success thanks to its plentiful sight gags and clever satirical jabs. A sharper look at the underlying issues wouldn’t have gone amiss, but the special still has more to say than Not Suitable For Children or Joining the Panderverse.
3
South Park: Post Covid
Released On November 25, 2021
South Park: Post Covid is set 40 years in the future and sees a middle-aged Stan Marsh return to South Park, having fallen out with Kyle, Cartman, and his family during the pandemic. Post Covid is cynical and dark, but it is full of classic South Park humor as the reunited friends attempt to figure out how they can go back and stop COVID-19 before it started by investigating the latest death of South Park‘s Kenny, who grew up to be a scientist.
The main issue with Post Covid is that it only works as part of a two-part series because of its unresolved threads and cliffhanger ending. Written and directed by South Park co-creator Trey Parker, Post Covid is full of jokes about the future and political correctness, but its best moments come when the movie pokes fun at the boy’s age. Supporting characters also get a chance to shine, particularly Jimmy Valmer with his sarcastic jokes and Clyde Donovan who is used to poke fun at anti-vaccination activists.
The reveal that Cartman grows up to become a happily married father and rabbi pays off years of teasing towards Kyle — although the latter remains hilariously convinced that it is just another elaborate chapter in Kyle and Cartman’s ongoing feud.
Related
South Park Post Covid 1 & 2: Every Main Character’s Story Arc, Ranked
South Park: Post Covid thrust fans into the future where familiar characters have some pretty wild story arcs, but only a few stand out as the best.
2
South Park: Post Covid — The Return Of Covid
Released On December 16, 2021
In the sequel to Post Covid, The Return of Covid, Stan and Kyle try to finish Kenny’s research and primary goal: trying to travel back in time to cure COVID-19. Standing in their way though is Cartman, whose underhanded tactics that defined their childhood come back to the surface because, unlike Stan and Kyle, he is happy with how life turned out so doesn’t want the past to change. A brilliant, modern twist on the franchise’s classic formulas, it is a great example of the more involved storytelling these specials allow for.
The Return of Covid has a more optimistic tone than Post Covid, as the boys change the course of their futures by manufacturing “one precedented time” to change the residents of South Park’s reaction to the pandemic. This hopeful spirit is balanced out by the incredibly bleak alternate future of Cartman.
Rather than growing up to be a happy family man, Cartman becomes bitter and homeless in the alternate timeline. Some jokes carried over from Post Covid became stale, including Stan’s human Alexa, but The Return of Covid thankfully brings in fresh material as well, like adult Butters growing up to be a prolific NFT salesman.
1
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Released On June 30, 1999
As successful as the newer movies have been, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut just outdoes every other South Park movie in terms of story, overall execution, comedy, and even its soundtrack. The first movie sees Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny constantly cursing after watching the new R-rated movie by the Canadian double act Terrance and Phillip. Disgusted by the boy’s new vocabulary, their parents start a movement to execute Terrance and Phillip, and the United States declares war on Canada.
The movie is still packed with the chaotic energy that early South Park is loved for, and the decision to make it a musical helped to differentiate it from the TV series.
All the while, in Hell, Kenny tries to stop Satan and Saddam Hussein from conquering the world. Like some older episodes of South Park that haven’t aged well, elements of Bigger, Longer & Uncut don’t work today. The movie is still packed with the chaotic energy that early South Park is loved for, and the decision to make it a musical helped to differentiate it from the TV series.
The landmark South Park movie achieved critical success, with its peak achievement being a nomination for Best Song (“Blame Canada”) at the 2000 Academy Awards. What Bigger, Longer & Uncut benefits from the most compared to later movies is keeping the focus on Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. Not every episode needs to star the four boys, but South Park specials should center around them as they’re the reason for the show’s success.
Are More South Park Movies On The Way?
With the most recent South Park movie coming out in May 2024, many fans are wondering when they can expect the next installment in the beloved franchise. There hasn’t been a new season of South Park since early 2023 which suggests that there might be a bit of a slowdown in the production of the series. Indeed, part of the reason for this is the fact that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are currently working on a new live-action movie with Kendrick Lamar that is separate from the South Park franchise.
The untitled comedy is set to premiere in theaters this summer, which is why so much of their time has been dedicated to it instead of South Park. However, with the release coming up, the creators confirmed that they would be focusing on more South Park projects, including a movie that could arrive sooner than fans are expecting. Speaking to Bloomberg in November 2024, Stone revealed there was a new South Park special on the way:
But that is what we are doing, and then we will do ‘South Park.’ Beginning of next year, we are coming back with one episode, and a bunch more in the second half of 2025. But we are working on something.
While no details have been announced for the new project, it will certainly be a welcome return for South Park fans with the added promise that there will be more episodes to follow.
Beginning in 1997, South Park has become one of the most successful and popular adult animations ever. The five-time Emmy-winning series follows Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, as they find themselves in unbelievable situations in South Park, Colorado, while trying to navigate the world as fourth graders.
- Cast
-
Trey Parker
, Matt Stone - Release Date
-
August 13, 1997
- Seasons
-
26
- Showrunner
-
Trey Parker
This story originally appeared on Screenrant