Dogecoin is an open-source peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was featured in a meme shared by Elon Musk. The cryptocurrency has hit record highs in recent days after the meme was shared. Online communities are driving up the price of the digital coin according to experts, having spiked 91 percent according to price trackers after the SpaceX CEO tweeted about dogecoin. The current price indicates a 20,000 percent increase from this time last year.
But how high will dogecoin go? Express.co.uk speaks to an expert about future projections for the meme-inspired cryptocurrency.
Michael Kamerman, CEO of broker Skilling, said the “parody currency” often appeals to investors due to its status and popularity on social media and with celebrities.
He told Express.co.uk: “The resurgence in attention to Dogecoin, which was originally launched as a parody currency, may seem attractive to investors due to its volatility but for the currency to ever have intrinsic value, scalability and security issues need to be addressed.
“It’s moved by headlines, tweets, celebrity, or corporate endorsements and while that’s likely belittled by “traditional” investors, it’s what brings the masses to cryptocurrencies.
“The masses understand headlines, tweets, and endorsements and the masses will likely mature as crypto enthusiasts and begin to appreciate the movement for its more technical nuances.
“However, the main driver behind Dogecoin’s popularity is its online communities, coupled with support from high-profile business magnates like Elon Musk.”
Sam Onigbanjo, founding partner at the Capital Markets Academy said dogecoin is clearly on an uptrend.
The cryptocurrency expert told Express.co.uk: “Dogecoin is currently at £0.31 and in the short term will overtake £0.70 ($ 0.50).
“Its first major test will be passing the £0.72 ($ 1) mark which from all indications could happen before the end of July.
“Once this barrier is broken the next aim will be £7.19 ($ 10).”
He added: “Dogecoin is driven based on trading fundamentals and events such as celebrity endorsements and acceptance in major corporates, both of these are clearly on the uptrend and are therefore very foreseeable in 2021.”
When asked how high dogecoin could possibly reach, he said it is difficult to predict, but he does not believe it will overtake fiat money.
Mr Kamerman said: “Cryptocurrencies are here to stay but I do not think they will “overtake” a fiat currency.
“I think that the “traditional” financial world will have to embrace the technologies that underpin cryptocurrencies.
“That will start with the rise of central bank digital currencies. Those are already on the rise and will likely continue to gain more and more attention in the coming years.
“Whilst I cannot predict the market direction, I can hypothesize that the variables underpinning such run-ups in price will remain unchanged for the short-term.
“Right now, investors and traders are almost encouraged to take the risk.
“The FOMO factor is at fever pitch and everywhere you turn market exuberance still exists.”
It’s been a little over three years since we last saw a new entry in the Ys (rhymes with “geese”) franchise, when Lacrimosa of Dana broke the nearly twenty-year period where new entries skipped Nitnendo consoles. We absolutely loved that release, and now that Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is out, we can confidently say that it almost lives up to that high standard its predecessor set. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox stumbles quite a bit with some performance issues, but it ultimately redeems itself through the sheer quality of its excellent combat, enchanting exploration, and high-octane music.
The narrative follows the intrepid red-haired adventurer Adol Christin and his loyal companion Dogi, whose wandering lifestyle has brought them to the gothic city of Balduq. Upon arrival, Adol is promptly arrested for the mayhem he’s caused on previous adventures, and he’s tossed into the clink by the local authorities without any further due process.
As you’d expect, it’s not long before Adol slips out of his cell, but things quickly go awry when he comes across a strange woman named Aprilis who shoots him, turning him into a human/monster hybrid called a Monstrum. Adol is soon introduced to a small group of other Monstrums who have all been turned in the same way, and they’re together pressed into service by Aprilis, who claims that she needs their help to fight off a looming threat of monsters from another dimension. Adol’s curse prevents him from leaving town, so he’s thus left with no choice but to learn more about the dark history of this prison city and the monsters within.
Though it can frequently stray into campy territory, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox manages to mostly stick the landing with its plot. The opening hour runs a little too heavy on the exposition and setup, but pacing quickly smooths out as the ensuing chapters develop each of the other Monstrums through brief subplots where Adol pairs off with them for some quest or mission. Not only do these chapters help to give some much-needed dimension to your initially shallow companions, but they gradually reveal more about the mysteries surrounding the enormous prison city of Balduq and its not-quite-right authoritarian leadership. You likely won’t walk away from Ys IX: Monstrum Nox feeling particularly amazed at the storytelling, but there’s still plenty here to keep you invested for the thirty-or-so hours it takes to see this one through to the credits.
Gameplay takes the shape of a typical action RPG, with a healthy dosage of open-world exploration to keep things interesting. The main new feature here is the inclusion of ‘Gifts’, which greatly expand on the opportunities for exploration. Each Monstrum has a unique ability to make traversal easier, and the city is designed in an almost Metroidvania-esque fashion to encourage you to keep exploring as new Monstrums join your party. Whether it be short-range teleportation or a simple glide ability, each of these Gifts feels like a welcome addition to your toolset and help to make the city of Balduq feel more like a playground you cavort about at will.
The city itself is packed full of side quests and collectibles to help strengthen you on your journey, and there are a variety of dungeons that you slowly unlock as the story progresses. These are usually focused more around a particular gift, and while there aren’t many puzzles to speak of, the dungeons are where the majority of combat takes place. As you’d expect of an Ys game, combat flow is extremely fast-paced and twitchy, rewarding skillful, dexterous play. Mashing the ‘Y’ button will see your character unleash a flurry of attacks, while you can set up to four shortcuts bound to the face buttons that allow you to use heavier-hitting skills at a moment’s notice.
If you see an enemy winding up for an attack, you’re given two equally alluring options for how to defend yourself. One of those is to dodge roll out of the way, and if you do so at the last minute, you’ll slow down time for the enemies for a few seconds while you gain a brief window of invincibility. Similarly, you can choose to block at the last second, which negates any damage and massively boosts your attack damage for a few seconds.
Taken altogether, these varying combat elements harmonize well into a system that keeps you dialed in and on the edge of your seat. Even lower difficulties have brief moments of hair-raising challenge, and it’s a real thrill once you figure out the timing for various skills and dodges and start seeing how to chain them together into stylish combos. Combat is easily the highlight of the experience here, and it remains consistently engaging as the dozens of hours roll by.
We would love to stop there and simply allow the praise of the exploration and combat to stand, but both these elements are unfortunately hampered by the shoddy performance. Whether docked or handheld, frame drops are a constant problem that noticeably drag everything down. When you’re powering through dungeons and isolated combat encounters, things usually hold to a stable-ish 20-25 FPS, but roaming the open city of Balduq is where the real problems show up. In these instances, you’re looking at a near-consistent sub-20 FPS experience, which makes it harder to navigate trickier platforming sections and makes the overall experience feel quite sub-par. While we have been promised that some patches are on the way to smooth things over, the experience here at launch is little more than disappointing.
It’s a real shame, too, as in addition to the excellent gameplay loop, the presentation is rather enticing. Balduq isn’t nearly as visually interesting as the more fantastic locales Adol has explored in the past, but there’s a distinct Castlevania-esque motif to the endless stone structures that strikes a weirdly alluring mixture between cozy and oppressive. Plus, the soundtrack (especially in dungeons) mixes in some wonderfully high energy rock music that perfectly matches both the gothic aesthetic and the fast-paced combat. Balduq may not be the best setting for an Ys game yet, but it consistently manages to make itself memorable.
Conclusion
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox isn’t a massive step up over its tropical predecessor, but it hits all the right beats it needs to make for an addictive and engaging action-RPG. Fast-paced combat, a memorable setting, and a surprisingly content-rich open world make for an experience that action-RPG fans won’t want to miss out on. Were it not for the performance issues, we might even be inclined to say this is the best example of the genre on the Switch yet. Given those problems, however, a totally unreserved recommendation of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox on Switch is tough to make. Performance is reported to be a little bit better on PS4 and PS5, so if you have access to one of those consoles, we’d recommend getting it there. Otherwise, you’re still in for a good time on Switch — just brace yourself for those frame drops.
Sir Tom Jones has been in show business for almost 60 years and displays no signs of stopping. The 81-year-old recently released his new album Surrounded By Time and occasionally shares some of his greatest moments through his social media accounts. Most recently Sir Tom’s uploaded a 1969 performance of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode from his TV show This Is Tom Jones.
Sir Tom Jones’ fans praised his performance from over 50 years ago in the comments on his official YouTube channel.
One wrote: “Almost 60 years and that sound hasn’t faded one bit… and never will.”
Another commented: “I watched this show every week with my family. My mom sat on the edge of her chair!”
While one added: “Tom, you knocked this Chuck Berry classic out of the park! Love it!”
Johnny B Goode was first written and recorded by Berry in 1958 and became a big hit, peaking at No 2 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides.
One of the most recognisable songs in recent music history, it was even covered by Elvis Presley.
While Johnny B Goode ranked seventh on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Earlier this year, Sir Tom shared another performance from his TV show with the late Janis Joplin, less than a year before her death at just 27-years-old.
It turns out Janis didn’t fancy walking and singing through a room of plastic raindrops.
So ABC, who Sir Tom says had spent a lot of money building the set, completely scrapped it.
The 81-year-old added: “So we had to strip the set down. She did it bare bones. Then we did the duet together.
“And she looked at me and said, ‘Wow, you can really sing!’ I said, ‘Well, thank you. So can you.’”
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny feels like an oddly topical title for Nippon Ichi Software. About two years ago, the company effectively ran out of money following a catastrophic mobile game launch, and it certainly appeared for a while that Nippon Ichi was going to go under. Somehow, the publisher managed to weather the worst of this storm, which enabled it to defy the odds and release at least one more mainline Disgaea game. This could very well be the final Disgaea release, but if it is, at least the makers can rest easy knowing that it went out with a bang. Disgaea 6 is the most streamlined and enjoyable entry yet, demonstrating a thorough mastery of the in-depth mechanics that made this turn-based tactical series such a cult hit.
Disgaea 6 features a fittingly goofy narrative with plenty of over the top ‘anime humor’, although there are some moments of genuine emotion scattered around in there. The main narrative follows a zombie boy named Zed, who’s hellbent on killing a nameless god of destruction terrorizing the Netherworld. Zed isn’t initially all that great of a fighter, and he is killed rather easily nearly every time he confronts his foe. Fortunately, Zed has the power to “Super Reincarnate” every time he dies, and he gets just a little more powerful every time he comes back to life.
It’s far from the most interesting story ever told in an RPG, but Disgaea 6 smartly opts to revel in the ridiculous and over-the-top kind of humor the series has become known for. Things like Prinnies (the series’ stupid, exploding penguins that end most sentences in “dood”) or a princess who aggressively wants to marry Zed help to keep the plot from ever approaching anything remotely ‘serious’.
This silliness permeates nearly every facet of Disgaea 6. How many games have you played where a piece of equipment’s main selling point is that it protects you from potato chip grease? How many times have you fought an enemy named Flosses Regularly? It’s not often that a game commits this hard to such an intentionally lighthearted tone, and while the humor may be hit or miss, it is consistently interesting and memorable.
Gameplay in Disgaea 6 initially follows a standard SRPG format, wherein you move characters around a grid-based map and try to wipe out the enemy before they get you first. In this regard, Disgaea 6 is probably at its most conventional, although there is a considerable amount of depth to the combat as you progress. There are well over a dozen different classes to mix into your team, and supplementary things like combo and team attacks ensure that carefully planning out your strategy pays off dividends. This SRPG aspect of Disgaea 6 is impressively well-built and just as engaging as you’d expect out of a relatively high-profile release in the genre. However, it could very much be argued that the primary gameplay of Disgaea 6 is more meta than simply another turn-based tactics game.
Despite most of the gameplay ostensibly happening on the grid-based battlefields, there’s an awful lot of focus placed on effective management of the absurdly in-depth systems that surround that combat. For example, there’s a senate chamber in the main hub where monsters and demons from various fictional political parties vote on the underlying rules of the game. If you want to earn more experience or would like to unlock a new class type, you have to get a bill passed with a majority vote. Or, in another example, there’s a “Cheat Shop” where you can dial up or down specific markers of progress. So, if you would rather earn more money after each battle, you can dial down how much skill experience your characters gain on average.
The presence of features like this indicate where the real Disgaea 6 is thus experienced. Sure, you can just play through the main campaign and get a satisfying experience, but this is a game that could potentially last you hundreds of hours if you really want to go for it. The level cap is, no joke, set at 99,999,999 and you can eventually do 10,000,000,000,000,000 damage in a single attack. To hit those kinds of numbers, and to be capable of taking on the kind of content the enormous endgame has to offer, you have to be ready to ‘break’ the entire game in the way it encourages you to, and this makes for a strategic experience unlike anything else out there today. With the exception of previous games in the series, of course; Disgaea veterans will be pleased to find all the crazy numbers and systems they expect present and correct.
Fortunately, Disgaea 6 has opted to integrate plenty of quality of life features that easily make this the most accessible and streamlined entry in the series yet. Chief among these is the new “Demonic Intelligence” feature, which allows you to program each character on your team with an extremely in-depth logic system that mimics the Gambit system of Final Fantasy XII. With this, you can specify actions you want characters to perform in specific situations, which takes a ton of tedium out of having to manually navigate the menus and select actions for every character on every turn. For example, it’s a lot easier to just program a character to target and approach the nearest enemy and use a random attack skill. And with how in-depth these instruction sets can get, there’s a lot of fun to be had in tweaking their commands to make your team a perfectly well-functioning, autonomous machine that cuts through enemies with ease.
Taking this demonic intelligence system and pairing it with the new auto-battle options thus cuts down the boredom of extended grinding sessions. It may sound a little silly to be praising a game for decreasing the amount of time you have to spend actually playing it, but this goes back to the main draw of the gameplay being more about the management side of things, rather than the raw actions of manually commanding the team. The main thing these new quality of life features do is decrease the amount of repetitive work you have to do to obtain rewards. You still have to build effective teams, kit them out with the right skills and equipment, and know how to program them to fight efficiently. It’s just that now it only takes you ten minutes to accomplish the same things that in previous entries would have required at least an hour.
All of this is to say, Disgaea 6 is the very embodiment of the concept of ‘min-maxing’. It prods you to turn your attention to every little detail of your characters’ builds and to think of ways you can either maximize values or literally break the rules so you can take them beyond their maximums. There are numerous avenues you can take to do so, which can be rather intimidating to newcomers who aren’t familiar with all the nuances of a Disgaea game. Disgaea 6 does a solid job of including lots of tutorials and explanations, enough to say that this is probably the most approachable entry yet, but be prepared to do quite a bit of studying before you finally ‘get it’.
While gameplay remains consistently addictive, it must be said that Disgaea 6 really drops the ball with its presentation. The all-new 3D models properly bear the series’ signature art style and they’re animated quite well, but performance is quite poor at the time of writing. There are three display options which allow you to pick between graphics, framerate, or a middle ground, but none of them feel fully satisfying. Either everything is 60 FPS and distractingly blurry, or the resolution is sharp and the framerate tanks. It’s not immediately clear why this is the case, as Disgaea 6 doesn’t appear to be a very graphically intensive game, but these serious performance issues definitely drag down an otherwise excellent experience.
Conclusion
If you weren’t allured by the distinctive style and crazy in-depth gameplay of previous entries in the franchise, Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny certainly isn’t the game to change your mind. Like its predecessors, Disgaea 6 is still a goofy and staggeringly intricate SRPG that will take hundreds of hours to see through to completion. However, this is easily the most streamlined and enjoyable entry in the series yet, as the developers have doubled down on everything that makes these games great and made some improvements, too. It can be intimidating to get into as a newcomer, and the performance is frequently disappointing, but we would still absolutely recommend that you add Disgaea 6 to your library.
Windows 11 includes an all-new design and exciting performance boosts too (Image: MICROSOFT )
Microsoft revealed its next major operating system, Windows 11, during an event streamed from its headquarters in Redmond this week. The latest iteration of Windows has had a complete design overhaul. Seriously, it looks like no stone has been left unturned in this top-to-bottom reboot. Everything has a glass-like translucency and rounded corners.
However, Microsoft says it’s not only a shiny new coat of paint. Performance will be faster on your existing PC or laptop when you upgrade to Windows 11 too, the US company has promised. Not only that, but future updates will be smaller and as a result, faster to download and install as well. A number of tweaks used inside the Xbox software will be making their way to Windows 11 too, which should make gaming on the next-generation operating system even better.
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Windows 10, which was available as a free upgrade at launch, has been a huge success for Microsoft, with more than 1.3 billion devices now running the operating system worldwide. At the time, Microsoft said Windows 10 would be the “last version” of Windows. New features and design tweaks would be delivered over time with regular updates, as Microsoft transitioned to “Windows as a service”. As such, it’s pretty astonishing that Microsoft is pushing ahead with the launch of an all-new version of Windows at all.
That said, Windows 11 is definitely here as there’s certainly no confusing it with its predecessor. Windows 11 represents a pretty radical redesign for the most popular desktop operating system on the planet. During the event, design chief Panos Panay branded it “the beginning of the next generation of Windows.”
The all-new Start Menu, pictured here on a number of devices, is easily the biggest single change (Image: MICROSOFT)
Themes will completely transform the look of the operating system, with six options preinstalled (Image: MICROSOFT)
Gone are the sharp angular corners found across Windows 10, replaced with softer, rounded windows. Colours are a little cooler across the board too, with the strong blue that characterised Windows 10 ditched. Transparency has also been added across the software so you’ll still be able to see the application windows stacked behind menus – almost like you’re looking through a pane of translucent glass. Microsoft has redesigned every application icon across the operating system – yes, even the obscure ones hidden away in the Control Panel (something that the design team never got to when building Windows 10). The Microsoft Store has also been overhauled.
The Start Menu has been relocated to the middle of the screen, which Microsoft says is because you are the centre of the experience and so the menu should mirror that. Whatever the reason, it looks almost unrecognisable. The shortcuts to All Apps and the Power options have been hidden away. Instead, the main menu is filled with Pinned Apps and Recommended Apps. The latter will be based on your habits, with Microsoft’s clever AI algorithms suggesting applications throughout the day.
There’s also a search bar at the top of the new Start Menu that lets you look for applications, files, settings, and online results too. This replaces the Cortana search field built into the taskbar in Windows 10.
While the design is the first thing you notice, Microsoft says the performance has also enjoyed a boost (Image: MICROSOFT)
Everything is a little more rounded and softer in Windows 11, leading to some comparisons with Apple’s macOS (Image: MICROSOFT)
Transparency, which was largely absent from Windows 10, plays a big role in the new version (Image: MICROSOFT)
Windows 11 isnotsimply a face-lift for Windows 10, Microsoft design chief Panos Panay was keen to stress during the event.
When running the operating system, day-to-day performance should bemuchfaster. That includes your existing PC when you upgrade to the new update as well as your next device that arrives with Windows 11 preinstalled. Likewise, Windows Hello – which uses facial recognition to log into an account – is also faster than the same machine running Windows 10.
Windows Updates have been slimmed down by as much as 40 percent, which means downloads should be much faster. Not only that, but those with devices with 4G and 5G mobile internet connections can keep their gadget updated while they’re out on the road. Updates are installed quietly in the background too.
Microsoft has a number of layouts to present multiple windowed applications on-screen at the same time. While Windows 10 let yousnaptwo applications side-by-side, Windows 11 takes things a step further. Microsoft will a number of options based on the size of your screen, so those with more real estate will get more choice. But everyone will be able to juggle three or four windows of different sizes.
Snap Layouts brings a number of different options to juggle multiple apps on-screen at the same time (Image: MICROSOFT)
Dubbed Snap Layouts, these configurations are stored in memory. So, you can jump into Outlook to reply to an email, and then return to three or four applications configured in the same grid layout. Likewise, if you have everything set-up on an external monitor, unplug your laptop and then plug it back into the same screen, everything will return in its place. That’s handy for those who are working between an office and home.
Keeping on top of your applications will be critical moving forward as Microsoft confirmed that Android apps will be coming to all Windows 11 devices. Regardless of whether you’re running a laptop with a touchscreen, a tablet, or an expansive desktop PC with multiple screens …you’ll be able to run smartphone and tablet apps from the Google Play Store. These apps are treated exactly the same as native Windows software, so features like Snap Layouts will work too. You can even store Android apps in the taskbar.
Finally, Windows 11 includes some clever software optimisations borrowed from the Xbox Series X team to create “graphic capabilities that rival reality”. Not only that, but Microsoft will allow PC gamers to stream dozens of titles from the Xbox Game Pass, which includes access to over 100 triple-A video games. Some of the biggest games coming to Xbox this year, including the return of Halo and Starfield – the latest game from Fallout and Elder Scrolls studio Bethesda, will be coming to Games Pass soon. Like Netflix, you pay a flat monthly fee to access all of the games, although you won’t outright own any of them if you decide to cancel your membership.
Microsoft has just revealed its next major operating system, Windows 11, during an event streamed from its headquarters in Redmond. The latest iteration of the desktop operating system has had a complete design overhaul. Seriously, it looks like no stone has been left unturned in this top-to-bottom reboot. Microsoft says it’s not only a shiny new coat of paint, either. Performance will be faster on your existing PC or laptop when you upgrade to Windows 11 too, Microsoft has promised.
Not only that, but future updates will be smaller and as a result, faster to download and install as well. A number of tweaks used inside the Xbox software will be making their way to Windows 11 too, which should make gaming on the next-generation operating system even better.
Windows 10, which was available as a free upgrade at launch, has been a huge success for Microsoft, with more than 1.3 billion devices now running the operating system worldwide. At the time, Microsoft said Windows 10 would be the “last version” of Windows. New features and design tweaks would be delivered over time with regular updates, as Microsoft transitioned to “Windows as a service”.
As such, it’s pretty astonishing that Microsoft is pushing ahead with the launch of an all-new version of Windows at all.
That said, Windows 11 is definitely here as there’s certainly no confusing it with its predecessor. Windows 11 represents a pretty radical redesign for the most popular desktop operating system on the planet. During the event, design chief Panos Panay branded it “the beginning of the next generation of Windows.”
Gone are the sharp angular corners found across Windows 10, replaced with softer, rounded windows. Colours are a little cooler across the board too, with the strong blue that characterised Windows 10 ditched. Transparency has also been added across the software so you’ll still be able to see the application windows stacked behind menus – almost like you’re looking through a pane of translucent glass. Microsoft has redesigned every application icon across the operating system – yes, even the obscure ones hidden away in the Control Panel (something that the design team never got to when building Windows 10). The Microsoft Store has also been overhauled.
But Windows 11 isnotsimply a face-lift for Windows 10, Microsoft design chief Panos Panay confirmed during the event.
When running the operating system, day-to-day performance should bemuchfaster. That includes your existing PC when you upgrade to the new update as well as your next device that arrives with Windows 11 preinstalled. Likewise, Windows Hello – which uses facial recognition to log into an account – is also faster than the same machine running Windows 10.
Windows Updates have been slimmed down by as much as 40 percent, which means downloads should be much faster. Not only that, but those with devices with 4G and 5G mobile internet connections can keep their gadget updated while they’re out on the road. Updates are installed quietly in the background too.
Microsoft has a number of layouts to present multiple windowed applications on-screen at the same time. While Windows 10 let yousnaptwo applications side-by-side, Windows 11 takes things a step further. Microsoft will a number of options based on the size of your screen, so those with more real estate will get more choice. But everyone will be able to juggle three or four windows of different sizes.
Dubbed Snap Layouts, these configurations are stored in memory. So, you can jump into Outlook to reply to an email, and then return to three or four applications configured in the same grid layout. Likewise, if you have everything set-up on an external monitor, unplug your laptop and then plug it back into the same screen, everything will return in its place. That’s handy for those who are working between an office and home.
Keeping on top of your applications will be critical moving forward as Microsoft confirmed that Android apps will be coming to all Windows 11 devices. Regardless of whether you’re running a laptop with a touchscreen, a tablet, or an expansive desktop PC with multiple screens …you’ll be able to run smartphone and tablet apps from the Google Play Store. These apps are treated exactly the same as native Windows software, so features like Snap Layouts will work too. You can even store Android apps in the taskbar.
The collaboration was meant to be a fun performance for a charity event, but could a mega boyband reunion be on the horizon?
Members of the boy band groups NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys joined up for a fun performance last week in Los Angeles to raise money for charity, but buzz over the event has continued past the weekend leaving people wondering if a mega boyband tour could be on the horizon.
Backstreet Boys members Nick Carter and AJ McLean joined Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of NSYNC on stage at Bingo Under the Stars, an event at The Grove in Los Angeles celebrating Pride month. Organizers promised to grant a “special gift” to The Trevor Project, and a portion of the ticket sales will go directly to LA Pride, the event organizers said.
The buzz around the event started when the group members began going on and on about the endless possibilities of a reunion between the members.
“Everybody’s wanted us to do something together and now we get to come together for an amazing cause,” McLean told Variety while they were rehearsing.
While some of us can remember rivalries between fans during the boy band era, the mood Friday during the performance was just excitement.
Carter of the Backstreet Boys said, “I still don’t understand why we didn’t get an opportunity to do more things together, but we learned that it was managers and stuff happening behind-the-scenes that prevented it. Better late than never, right?”
Carter also subtly suggested that a supergroup could even be formed with possibilities including members from other boy bands too like New Kids on the Block, O-Town or even 98 Degrees.
Bass of NSYNC said he and Fatone didn’t mention the reunion in an NSYNC group text the members have, “We kept it so secret from everyone, so they probably don’t even know this is happening. It was a so last-minute, like, ‘You know what? Let’s do something for Pride.’”
The singers said that the performance is just the start of more. McLean told Variety that he hopes “Back-Sync” can soon earn a Las Vegas residency as the members threw out ideas of everything from an album together and a tour.
At the event, a cryptocurrency check for one million dollars in $ TKINU tokens was presented to the Trevor Project, as a part of their involvement with the cryptocurrency project Mission Tsuki.
The Trevor Project was founded in 1998, by the makers of the short film “TREVOR,” which won an Academy Award. The project calls itself the “leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queen & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.”
Manchester United’s pursuit of Raphael Varane has been on the cards for a few months, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer desperate to land a world-class centre-back to partner Harry Maguire next season. Throughout the transfer links the question has always been ‘can they land him?’. But after France’s 1-1 draw with Hungary on Saturday, maybe it should now be ‘should they want him?’
Varane’s quality has rarely been questioned amid a sterling 10-year stint with Real Madrid. He’s won four Champions League titles, three La Ligas and the Copa del Rey. He played a significant part in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph.
Yet all of that was forgotten on a humid afternoon in Budapest. With rumours continuing to swirl over his future at club level, Varane endured a difficult game against Hungary, who were presumed by everyone to be the Group F whipping boys.
Hungary kept Portugal quiet for 84 minutes on Tuesday before Cristiano Ronaldo helped the defending champions plunder three goals in the closing stages, and they went one better against France.
While it won’t be the biggest takeaway from a memorable performance from Hungary, Varane’s display won’t be lost on United’s hierarchy.
United are long-standing fans of Varane and have twice tried to sign the 28-year-old defender. They are reportedly willing to splash significant money to finally land him this summer and, while he clearly has credit in the bank, recency bias could still play a part in undermining a potential move to Old Trafford.
Varane’s apparent uncomfortableness began early in Budapest. After just three minutes he was drawn out to the right-hand side where he fouled the impressive Roland Sallai with a clumsy tackle which gave away a dangerous free-kick.
He was perhaps fortunate to avoid a yellow card and from the resulting set piece it didn’t get much better, with Varane losing his man and running into Endre Botka, who went down claiming a penalty.
France settled and dominated proceedings for the rest of the first half – right up until the decisive moment came in the 46th minute.
The ball was switched to left-wingback Attila Fiola, who headed it in-field to Sallai. Varane got too tight to his man and Sallai’s touch took the ball in behind France right-back Benjamin Pavard.
Fiola raced onto the loose ball and charged into the box to beat Hugo Lloris at his near post. The goal sparked wild celebrations in the Hungarian capital, but recriminations for France’s sloppy defending began immediately.
Watching the replay on the BBC’s coverage, co-commentator Jermaine Jenas said: “Just here, Varane is late in that challenge – and when Attila Fiola gets it, he’s got one thought in his mind, to drive into the box to make Varane make a tough decision.
“He can’t bring him down now. He composes himself and sticks it away.”
At half-time it fell to Alan Shearer to provide the analysis and the former England striker was more critical of Pavard than Varane.
“He goes behind Pavard too easily,” he said.
“He gives and goes and he can’t keep up with him. And before Varane realises, it’s too late, he cannot foul him. It’s a great position for him to be in and he wasn’t phased at all.
“He’s got five yards on him there, because he’s slow on the turn, Pavard. But when he gets in there it’s a magnificent finish.”
There was a more typical moment for Varane to come, with the centre-back getting in the perfect position at the near post after 60 minutes to cut out Laszlo Kleinheisler’s dangerous cross as the game opened up.
But minutes later he was looking suspect once again. With Andras Schafer on his shoulder, the French defender took the decision to slice the ball into touch, prompting another observation from Jenas.
“He’s looked a bit shaky at times, Raphael Varane,” he said.
“He was sluggish on the turn. From a defender of his quality, that’s panicking. Just knock it back to your goalkeeper.”
Antoine Griezmann scored the equaliser for France, but the favourites could not force a winner. The last chance fell to none other than Varane, who lept high but failed to put his header on target with the last touch of the match.
The moment summed up a game to forget for the Real Madrid man, who faces a big decision about his future in the coming weeks.
The MIC Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a lightweight stick vacuum cleaner that has the benefits of strong power while still being quiet enough to not disturb the neighbours.
Usually retailing for £169.99, the vacuum just got a major price cut of 45 percent. The vacuum is now just £93.49, saving you a massive £76.50.
If you’re thinking that a vacuum of this price can’t be that good, many of the reviews would disagree with you.
One said they were “truly surprised how good the hoover is”, adding: “I have been looking for a cordless hoover for a long time and I finally decided to get one. I am definitely not disappointed”.
The lightweight, cordless design of this five-in-one vacuum lets you get all your vacuuming done without being constricted by wires or a heavy device.
Some even went so far as to compare the vacuum to some of the best models on the market, with one saying: “This vacuum cleaner is perfect for big surfaces and for places where you can’t reach, so it’s suitable for all kinds of places.
“It makes car cleaning so easy without cables. The power of vacuuming is awesome – like Dyson but half the price.
“The battery is solid and the recharge time is great. Very well made product, I would definitely recommend this vacuum cleaner”.
If you have pet hair, this vacuum is perfectly adept at sucking up all of that fur and debris from both hardwood floors and carpets.
The long run time of 50 minutes lets you get in and properly clean all the dustiest corners of your home in one charge.
If you’re getting tired of lugging around your heavy, old school vacuum but aren’t ready to invest in a newer model – learn from this reviewer’s experience: “I have all sorts of back problems so I thought I’d try one of these as our old Henry hurts me when I drag it around.
“I’m kicking myself now for not getting one years ago as the difference is incredible”.
Author: KXAN Staff
This post originally appeared on KXAN Austin
(NBC) — As President Joe Biden nears his 100th day in office, slightly more than half of Americans say they approve of his job performance, with Biden getting his highest marks on handling the coronavirus and his lowest on the situation at the border.
Those are the results of a new national NBC News poll, which also finds a public that’s largely supportive of Biden’s top legislative priorities; that’s become more optimistic about defeating the pandemic; and that’s more bullish about the country’s direction than it was back in January.
“What we don’t know is if this is part of a 100-day honeymoon or something more durable and lasting for the Biden-Harris administration,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.
“What we do know is that Joe Biden’s presidency is meeting the times,” Horwitt added.
But the poll also shows that nearly one-in-five Americans are resistant or hesitant in getting a Covid-19 vaccine; that a majority believe the nation is on the wrong track; and that a whopping 80 percent still think the country is mostly divided, despite Biden’s promise to be a more unifying president.
FILE – In this Jan. 27, 2021 file photo, President Joe Biden signs an executive order on climate change, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Biden is convening a coalition of the willing, the unwilling, the desperate-for-help and the avid-for-money for a two-day summit aimed at rallying the world’s worst polluters to do more to slow climate change. Biden’s first task when his virtual summit opens Thursday is to convince the world that the United States is both willing and able isn’t just willing to meet an ambitious new emissions-cutting pledge, but also able. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“In a first-hundred-days poll, we change presidents, but we don’t change the country,” said McInturff, arguing that the poll doesn’t suggest profound changes in attitude about the nation’s direction and its politics.
According to the poll, 53 percent of adults say they approve of Biden’s job as president – including 90 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of independents but just 9 percent of Republicans – while 39 percent of all respondents say they disapprove.
Biden’s job rating is higher than Donald Trump’s was at this same point in time in the poll (40 percent approve, 54 percent disapprove), but it’s lower than Barack Obama’s was at 100 days (61 percent approve, 30 percent disapprove).
Among registered voters in the new poll, Biden’s job rating stands at 51 percent approve, 43 percent disapprove.
The president gets his highest marks on handling the coronavirus (69 percent approve), on dealing with the economy (52 percent approve), on uniting the country (52 percent approve) and on race relations (49 percent approve).
FILE – In this March 11, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden holds up his face mask as he speaks about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House in Washington. The U.S. is meeting President Joe Biden’s latest vaccine goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 shots in his first 100 days in office, as the White House steps up its efforts to inoculate the rest of the public. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
“I think I just like how he’s handling the Covid crisis more than Trump did,” said one Democratic poll respondent from Iowa.
But Biden’s lowest scores come on dealing with China (35 percent), handling the gun issue (34 percent) and dealing with border security and immigration (33 percent).
“He opened flood gates for illegal immigration,” said one female Trump voter from Texas.
And by a 55 percent-to-34 percent margin, respondents believe that Biden has returned the country to a more typical way that past presidents have governed the country.
“I don’t have to think about what Joe Biden is doing every day,” said a North Carolina man who voted for Biden. “The best thing about Joe Biden is I don’t have to think about Joe Biden.”
Biden’s Covid relief and infrastructure plans remain popular
The NBC News poll also finds that Biden’s top legislative priorities are fairly popular with the American public.
Forty-six percent of Americans say the Covid relief bill he signed into law in March is a good idea, versus 25 percent who call it a bad idea, with another 26 percent who don’t have an opinion.
And 59 percent say his infrastructure plan – which would upgrade roads and bridges, expand broadband access and pay to care for the elderly and disabled– is a good idea, while 21 percent disagree; 19 percent don’t have an opinion.
By party, 87 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents and 21 percent of Republicans support Biden’s infrastructure plan.
“America may be a divided country, but the data here reveal that Americans are not evenly divided on
the path that the Biden-Harris administration is taking,” said Horwitt, the Democratic pollster.
What’s more, 56 percent of respondents say they feel more hopeful when looking at Biden’s leadership and plans for the country, compared with 42 percent who say they feel more doubtful.
Fifty-one percent believe Biden has so far accomplished a great deal or a fair amount in office, versus 47 percent who say he’s accomplished very little or just some – a result that virtually matches the popular vote in the 2020 presidential election.
And when it comes to perceptions of Biden’s ideology, 42 percent of Americans identify the president as moderate; 29 percent say he’s “very liberal”; 15 percent believe he’s “somewhat liberal”; and a combined 8 percent say he’s conservative.
President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Growing confidence in the fight against the coronavirus
A majority of Americans – 61 percent – say the worst is behind the United States when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, while just 19 percent believe the worst is yet to come.
That’s a significant reversal from the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in October, when 55 percent of voters said the worst was yet to come, and when only 25 percent said the worst was behind the U.S.
The poll also shows that 57 percent of Americans say they’ve already received a Covid-19 vaccine; another 8 percent say they will take the vaccine as soon as they can; and 15 percent say they will wait to see if there are major side effects before take taking it.
That’s compared with 12 percent who say they will never take the vaccine, as well as another 7 percent who will take it only if it’s required.
There’s a striking divide by party here: Among Democrats, 74 percent say they’ve already been vaccinated, while just 4 percent say they won’t ever take it.
But among Republicans, 40 percent say they’ve been vaccinated, while 24 percent say they’ll never take it.
82 percent say America is divided rather than united
Thirty-six percent of Americans say the country is headed in the right direction – up from 21 percent who said this in January.
Yet 56 percent believe the nation is on the wrong track, which continues a streak (going back to George W. Bush’s second term as president) of at least a majority of Americans holding this view in the poll.
And despite Biden’s positive marks on uniting the country, 82 percent of respondents in the poll say the country is divided, while only 16 percent say it’s united.
Other findings in the poll
Asked to pick the one or two most important issues facing the country, Americans’ top responses were the coronavirus (30 percent), uniting the country (25 percent), race relations (23 percent), the economy (23 percent) and border security and immigration (22 percent).
The top responses among Democrats were the coronavirus (43 percent) race relations (35 percent), guns (25 percent) and unity (24 percent).
Among Republicans, the top responses were the border/immigration (47 percent), the economy (28 percent), taxes and spending (23 percent) and unity (17 percent).
Democrats hold a 5-point advantage in congressional preference, with 47 percent of registered voters preferring a Democratic-controlled Congress, and with 42 percent preferring Republicans in charge.
And former President Donald Trump’s favorable/unfavorable rating in the poll is 32 percent positive, 55 percent negative (-23), while Biden’s score is 50 percent positive, 36 percent negative (+14).
The NBC News poll was conducted April 17-20 of 1,000 adults – 60 percent of whom only have a cell phone – and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points.
