Recently, a case involving a male postgraduate student named Bu has stirred up a heated debate in the local community. Bu, who was accused of being involved in criminal activities, has been taken into custody. However, the circumstances surrounding his arrest have raised questions about possible abduction, trafficking, and illegal detention.Kendrick Lamar starts his exhilarating new album by complaining that someone vandalized a mural depicting his face — a mural depicting his face in triplicate, in fact — on the side of a Honduran restaurant in his Compton hometown. Never mind that somebody cared enough about Lamar to paint the mural in the first place. What the 37-year-old rapper is pissed about is that this billboard-sized monument to his greatness was defaced. That’s the energy Lamar is tapped into on the deeply irritated “GNX,” which came out by surprise Friday morning, eight months to the day after he jumped into an epic feud with Drake that ended up lifting Lamar to new heights of commercial success and cultural prestige. (That the Pulitzer Prize winner vanquished Drake in their beef now goes without saying.) In April, he scored a No. 1 single with his appearance on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That”; in May, he did it again with his own “Not Like Us.” Lamar put on a historic all-star concert in June at Inglewood’s Kia Forum, then announced that he’ll headline the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans in February, just a week after “Not Like Us” is set to compete for record of the year and song of the year at the 67th Grammy Awards. Yet grievances abound on “GNX,” whose dozen tracks had taken spots 1 through 12 on Spotify’s U.S. Top 50 by early Sunday and which is all but certain to debut atop the Billboard 200 next week with one of 2024’s biggest openings. In “Wacced Out Murals” he can’t believe that Snoop Dogg had the audacity to post one of Drake’s diss tracks on social media — “I prayed it was the edibles” is his concern-trolling explanation — and laments Lil Wayne’s public disappointment that Lamar got the Super Bowl gig instead of him. “Used to bump ‘Tha Carter III,’ held my Rollie chain proud,” he raps, “Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.” “Hey Now” is about the punishing scrutiny he faces as a celebrity, while “Peekaboo” questions those trying to tarnish his legacy. “I did it with integrity and n— still try hate on me,” he growls in “Man at the Garden” — a distinct shift in outlook from Lamar’s previous album, 2022’s knotty “ Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers ,” where he was riven by self-doubt after a decade of being held up as the voice of his generation. Here, in contrast, he’s daring anyone to say he doesn’t deserve to be admired (even if few beyond Drake have actually suggested that he doesn’t). Whatever its source at this point, indignation remains a valuable motivator of Lamar’s art; his writing and rapping on “GNX” are as razor-sharp as they were in the brutal diss tracks he released one after another, Drake barely getting a second to breathe between them, this past spring. As funny too: “N— feel like he entitled ’cause he knew me since a kid,” he sneers in “TV Off,” “Bitch, I cut my granny off if she don’t see it how I see it.” Lamar is worked up about liars, about folks doling out backhanded compliments, about other rappers with “old-ass flows” wasting space with empty rhymes. Indeed, what seems to make him angriest is the idea that a person could triumph in hip-hop by taking hip-hop less seriously than he does. The album closes with a song called “Gloria” in which he spends nearly five minutes extending a detailed metaphor that positions writing as the great love of his life. As eager as he is to frame himself as a singular talent, Lamar happily shares the spotlight on “GNX,” passing the mic to a number of young L.A. up-and-comers including Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei and AzChike; in the title track, he doesn’t even take a verse, merely joining Hitta J3, YoungThreat and Peysoh on the song’s chorus. “Heart Pt. 6” recounts his origin story as a member of L.A.’s scrappy yet shrewd Top Dawg crew. And then there’s the lithe and funky “Dodger Blue,” in which he’s but a humble product of the oft-misunderstood city that shaped him: “Don’t say you hate L.A. when you don’t travel past the 10,” goes one line destined to be seen on a T-shirt or hoodie any day now. Produced by a team led by Lamar’s longtime collaborator Sounwave and the pop hitmaker Jack Antonoff — Mustard, who helmed “Not Like Us,” also co-produced two tracks — “GNX” is steeped in West Coast styles and sounds; the music slaps, slides, bounces and shimmies. Several songs ride highly recognizable samples: In “Reincarnated,” a densely lyrical fantasy in which Lamar imagines his past lives, the beat is “Made N—” by 2Pac, the late philosopher-braggart in whose contradictions Lamar has always found inspiration; “Luther,” a sensual duet with SZA , remakes Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s remake of “If This World Were Mine” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell — a gorgeous piece of lineage-making that calls to mind Beyoncé’s archival ambitions on albums like “Renaissance” and “Cowboy Carter.” Even amid those plush textures, though, Lamar has retribution on his mind. “If this world was mine, I’d take your enemies in front of God,” he promises-slash-threatens, “Introduce them to that light, hit them strictly with that fire.” Watch out.
Meeting Jimmy Carter — and getting a scoop about Bush, Blair and Iraq from the perfect gentleman
While the submission of the naturalization materials is a significant step forward, it is important to note that the process is not yet complete. The final decision on Oscar's naturalization and eligibility to play for the Chinese national team rests with the relevant authorities, and there are still several factors that need to be considered before a decision can be made. These factors may include sporting regulations, eligibility criteria, and the overall impact of Oscar's inclusion on the national team.Late interceptions help Rams defeat Cardinals, extend win streakNEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 6, 2024-- Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE), the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely EngagingTM, today announced it will participate in two upcoming investor conferences with management presentations: Event: Barclays Global Technology Conference Date & Time: Thursday, December 12th, 2024 Management Presentation: Cofounder and CEO Bill Magnuson at 8:40 - 9:10 am PT Event: Needham Growth Conference Date & Time: Tuesday, January 14th, 2025 Management Presentation: CFO Isabelle Winkles at 2:15 pm ET All conference presentations will be webcast and available under the events section of our Investor site at investors.braze.com . About Braze Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging.TM Braze allows any marketer to collect and take action on any amount of data from any source, so they can creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. From cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to Al-powered experimentation and optimization, Braze enables companies to build and maintain absolutely engaging relationships with their customers that foster growth and loyalty. The company has been recognized as a 2024 U.S. News Best Technology Companies to Work For, is a 2023 UK Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work, and was named a Leader by Gartner® in the 2024 Magic QuadrantTM for Multichannel Marketing Hubs and in The Forrester WaveTM: Cross-Channel Marketing Hubs, Q1 2023. Braze is headquartered in New York with 10+ offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com . Disclosure Information: In compliance with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD, Braze announces material information through a variety of means, including its Investor site, press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, and company blog posts. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206977544/en/ CONTACT: Investors: Christopher Ferris ir@braze.comMedia : Meghan Halaszynski press@braze.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING ELECTRONIC COMMERCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OTHER COMMUNICATIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS/INVESTOR RELATIONS MARKETING DIGITAL MARKETING ADVERTISING NETWORKS COMMUNICATIONS INTERNET CONTENT MARKETING SOURCE: Braze Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/06/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/06/2024 04:05 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206977544/en
AP News Summary at 6:33 p.m. EST
Manson Market, known for its thriving illegal trade in stolen data, malware, and other cybercriminal tools, had been a hub for hackers looking to buy and sell illicit goods and services. The platform operated on the dark web, offering a cloak of anonymity to its users and making it difficult for authorities to track and shut down the illegal activities taking place on the site.In conclusion, the surge in the Hang Seng Tech Index today is a clear sign of the market's resilience and the ongoing investor interest in the technology sector. As the global economy continues to recover and technology plays an increasingly important role in driving growth and innovation, Hong Kong stocks are well positioned to benefit from these trends. Time will tell whether the rally in the tech index is a short-term spike or the beginning of a sustained uptrend, but one thing is certain – the Hong Kong stock market remains a vibrant and dynamic marketplace for investors seeking new opportunities for growth and profit.
As the investigation into Bu's alleged criminal activities continues, the public remains divided on the nature of the case. Some believe that Bu is innocent and that he is being unfairly targeted, while others are convinced of his guilt and are demanding swift justice. Whatever the outcome may be, one thing is certain: the case of Bu has shone a spotlight on the dark underbelly of society, and has prompted a much-needed conversation about crime, justice, and accountability.Quebec premier wants to put a stop to prayer in parks and public placesRare observations of intrageneric predation and cannibalism in monitor lizards
NEW YORK (AP) — Remember what you searched for in 2024? Google does. Google released its annual “Year in Search” on Tuesday, rounding up the top trending queries entered into its namesake search engine in 2024. The results show terms that saw the highest spike in traffic compared to last year — ranging from key news events, notably global elections , to the most popular songs, athletes and unforgettable pop-culture moments that people looked up worldwide. Sports — particularly soccer and cricket — dominated Google's overall trending searches in 2024. Copa América topped those search trends globally, followed by the UEFA European Championship and ICC Men's T20 World Cup . Meanwhile, the U.S. election led news-specific searches worldwide. Queries about excessive heat and this year's Olympic Games followed. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump topped searches in Google's people category this year — followed by Catherine, Princess of Wales , U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif , who also led athlete-specific searches. Meanwhile, the late Liam Payne , Toby Keith and O.J. Simpson led search trends among notable individuals who died in 2024. In the world of entertainment, Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” was the top trending movie of the year, while Netflix's “Baby Reindeer” led TV show trends. And Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” dominated song trends. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Queries for the Olympic village's chocolate muffin , made famous by Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen over the summer games, led Google's global recipe trends this year. The New York Times' “Connections” puzzle topped game searches. And in the U.S., country-specific data shows, many people asked Google about online trends like the word “demure” and “ mob wife aesthetic .” You can find more country-specific lists, and trends from years past , through Google’s “Year in Search” data published online . The California company said it collected 2024 search results from Jan. 1 through Nov. 23 of this year. Google isn't the only one to publish an annual recap or top trends as 2024 draws to a close. Spotify Wrapped , for example, as well as Collins Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s words of the year, have offered additional reflections for 2024.
