Latest news with #Beelzebub
Digital Trends
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (May 23-25)
There's nothing better than an extended weekend to treat yourself to some guilt-free gaming time. Memorial Day means a ton of us get a whole extra day to chill out and explore the best games on PlayStation Plus, which just so happen to have added a huge chunk of titles. We've got multiple dangerous open world games, RPGs, and more to pick from, making this one of the hardest weeks I've had in narrowing down my recommendations to just three. That's a great problem to have and only means you will easily find a game that clicks with you. Even though we've got a three-day weekend, there's no time to waste, so here are the three best new PlayStation Plus games you need to be playing. Sand Land Akira Toriyama is most famous for creating the Dragon Ball universe, but that wasn't his only creation. Sand Land was one of his last projects, but has that trademark Toriyama look and feel. This is an open world RPG where you play as the Fiend Prince Beelzebub on a big adventure in search of the Legendary Spring in the desert world of Sand Land. Don't expect huge energy beams and cosmic-level clashes here. The majority of your time will be spent piloting and fighting inside all sorts of charming and creative vehicles. You can even collect resources to build and customize your own vehicles to suit your needs. Plus, since this game covers the relatively short story, you can jump right in and understand exactly what's going on. Recommended Videos Sand Land is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy – Enhanced Edition All of us PlayStation fans still can't get our hands on Stalker 2 just yet, but we can at least be prepared when it eventually does come to PS5 with the brand new bundle of the first three games fully remastered. If you're unfamiliar with the franchise, you're exactly who this package is made for. The Stalker games invite you to investigate the deadly Zone, an alternate version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. These games are meant to be hardcore and incredibly unforgiving. At the same time, the systems and AI are such that every situation is unique. You won't hear any two people's experiences mirror each other in this game. If you can put yourselves into your character's shoes and really roleplay, this survival FPS trilogy will easily become your next obsession. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Battle Engine Aquila Anyone who has been reading these recommendations regularly knows I can't help but include a classic game whenever possible. This week, there was only one to pick from, but I was instantly intrigued because it has to be one of the very few remaining PS2 games I'd never heard of. Battle Engine Aquila is a vehicular combat game where you pilot the titular mech in massive battles. Your Battle Engine can swap between an airborne and land mode to trade off more mobility and speed for stronger weaponry. You can choose between multiple Engine types for each mission, each of which is ranked to encourage you to replay them for a better score. There's not much story going on in the game itself, so just enjoy this one for the technical combat and novelty. Battle Engine Aquila is available now on PS5 and PC.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Beelzebub: The underrated action-comedy anime you might have missed
Credits: Crunchyroll The anime world is filled with iconic titles that became household names — but sometimes, even brilliant shows slip under the radar. Beelzebub, an action-comedy series packed with non-stop laughter and thrilling battles, is one such hidden gem. Despite its strengths, it never achieved the global fame of titles like One Piece or My Hero Academia. Let's explore what made Beelzebub so special, and why it struggled to leave a lasting mark. Beelzebub: A wild ride of laughter, action When Beelzebub first aired in 2011, it had all the ingredients for a hit anime. The story follows Tatsumi Oga , a delinquent high schooler who finds himself the unlikely caretaker of Beelzebub, the infant son of the Demon King. From the very first episode, the show promised a crazy blend of chaotic fights, over-the-top comedy, and supernatural chaos. Credits: Crunchyroll The charm of Beelzebub lay in its ability to mix heart-pounding action with genuinely funny and absurd moments. Oga's tough-guy persona clashed hilariously with the challenges of raising a demonic baby, while the supporting cast from the tsundere Hilda to the bizarre students of Ishiyama High kept things lively. Moreover, the animation style, although not top-tier, suited the comedic tone perfectly. Every punch, fall, and exaggerated reaction added to the show's high-energy appeal. Beelzebub carved out a fun and unpredictable world that kept fans entertained without taking itself too seriously. Why didn't Beelzebub reach greater heights? Credits: Crunchyroll Despite having the right ingredients, Beelzebub didn't become a household name like One Piece or My Hero Academia. One major reason could be pacing. The anime included a lot of filler episodes that dragged down the main plot, causing many viewers to lose interest midway. While the humor stayed strong, the story often lost momentum, making it hard for new fans to stay invested. Another issue was timing. In 2011, anime like Naruto Shippuden , Bleach, and One Piece were dominating the scene. Beelzebub had tough competition, and without a strong marketing push, it was easily overshadowed. Additionally, Beelzebub's unique style of humor, rooted heavily in Japanese school life and delinquent culture, may not have connected deeply with international audiences. Unlike shows with more universal themes, Beelzebub required viewers to understand certain cultural references to fully appreciate the jokes. Lastly, the anime ended rather abruptly without adapting the full manga story, leaving fans with an incomplete experience. This lack of closure made it difficult for the anime to build a loyal, lasting fanbase that would continue to promote it over the years. A missed opportunity, but not forgotten Beelzebub may not have become the global phenomenon it deserved to be, but for those who watched it, it remains a beloved mix of chaos, comedy, and heartfelt moments. It stands as a reminder that sometimes even the funniest, most action-packed shows need the right timing, pacing, and promotion to truly shine. Credits: Crunchyroll For fans of crazy humor and wild action, Beelzebub is still a must-watch — even if it never got the spotlight it rightly deserved.
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Runner confidential: Boston Marathon finishers tell us what they really think after 26.2 miles
Heartbreak Hill continues to shake first-timers and veterans alike. The Wellesley scream tunnel is where lots of runners think, 'I got this.' And the sights, sounds, and smells continue to stick as they navigate the course. As do the signs, some of them unprintable. 'You're running better than the government,' was one oft-noticed one. 'I saw a sign that said: 'Don't fart,'' laughed one runner. 'Fine, I wont.' Others reported feeling a little biological jealousy. 'I saw lot of men peeing openly,' said one woman in her mid-20s. 'It's fine.' Advertisement In part, that could have been the beer. It is not difficult to pick up a carb-heavy drink — and a smooch — in the college areas. 'I drank three beers: a Dale's Pale Ale, the second and third ones were Bud Light, which tasted like water,' said one compact woman in her 20s. 'I'm kind of tipsy right now, to be honest.' 'I liked all the drunk college students,' said one sober racer. 'I wish I was one of them.' Calorie replacement was the immediate focus for most surveyed. 'I'm gonna [expletive] with a lot of pizza,' said one runner. 'And I'll probably keep drinking beers.' 'I desperately want a burger from Mr. Bartley's in Harvard Square, but they're closed,' said another. 'I'll be going there tomorrow.' Advertisement 'Pasta,' said one first-time Boston visitor from South Carolina. 'Little Italy? I'm obsessed. So beautiful.' (We didn't tell her we call it the North End.) Not all runners could think about food. Two female friends experienced troubled guts on the course, both at the same time, when they smelled what Mile 23 was cooking. 'I almost threw up,' said one runner. 'The hot dog smells? I was like, absolutely not.' 'I had a gnarly gel with caffeine,' her friend said. 'Unflavored. That one just didn't hit right – too late in the game. Mile 23. I needed it and it backfired on me.' Sweat and tears were more commonly left behind as runners crossed the line. 'I was crying,' said one finisher. 'The emotions of being here for the first time, and working so hard to get here, and then it's this is it. This is the moment.' Late in the race, said another, 'one of those confetti guns blew confetti in my face. It was so unexpected. I like, cackled, maniacally. I thought I had been shot or something. It was awesome, though. It made me feel like a superhero.' Some certainly went in feeling heroic. The costumed runners were easy to spot. Participants said they saw a man dressed as Jesus, with a beard, tunic, and crown of thorns, who was blessing people who passed him. They spotted someone they thought was a red-painted Beelzebub — 'that was the most jaw-dropping thing I saw today,' said one runner. 'I ran step-for-step with the devil.' It was actually Ken Bereski, who competes in head-to-toe maroon for his alma mater Boston College. 'I literally have a cross painted on my face,' he said, laughing. Advertisement Ken Bereski, 44, ran his 150th marathon today, and emblazoned it on his chest. He's been wearing BC paint since his student days (class of 02). 'I was the crazy lunatic at every game,' he said. 'Going past BC is my favorite mile in all of marathoning.' — Christopher Huffaker (@huffakingit) They spotted a tall, bespectacled Waldo, bleeding through the front of his striped shirt. A Japanese couple in a tuxedo and wedding dress. Several Santas and the Easter Bunny. A guy running with a Boston Marathon pillow. They passed military marchers, who took about eight hours to walk the course in full fatigues beginning at 6 a.m. 'Mine are standard issue,' said one Air Force service member, pointing to his boots. 'Don't wear these.' Among the fastest of costumed runners was Jordan Maddocks, of Draper, Utah. He reclaimed the Guinness Book of World Records record for fastest marathon run in a fruit costume. He held the record for three years, until fellow bananaman Matthew Seidel, of Oakland, Calif., Revenge-minded Maddocks ran 2:33:48. His time might have been slower had he chosen a fruit that was wider (like an orange) or with a wind-catching shape (say, a bunch of grapes). But aerodynamics were not considered. 'Growing up, the banana was the most common costume worn by runners,' Maddocks said. 'I always figured that if I was going to go after a costume record – the banana is nostalgic for me.' Maddocks also holds the Guinness marathon record for a vegetable (2:44:12 as a carrot, in 2022) and tried to set the wedding dress record in London three years ago. But his three-layer dress was too heavy on a scorching day, and his time suffered. Advertisement As he relayed that story a hundred feet from the finish line, someone chasing him finally caught up. 'I got beat by a freakin' banana,' the man said, patting him on the back softly, so as to not bruise him. 'If you ever want to feel like a celebrity,' Maddocks said, 'dress as a banana and run Boston.' Or something else. Teresa Wojtasiewicz dressed as Princess Leia to run Monday's Boston Marathon. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff 'I saw Princess Leia run past me,' said Indianapolis-raised Scott Crafton, who was dressed as childhood hero Larry Bird, in full green Celtics uniform. At the starting line, he did not use his hands to wipe the bottoms of his sneakers, as Bird did before taking the parquet. 'Didn't need the extra traction,' he said. Meanwhile, Jessey the Elf set a pending record for a marathon run in an elf costume. Elf – yes, it's on his Canadian passport – is the former Ben Sayles, of southern Ontario, who legally changed his name and had his ears surgically pointed about 10 years ago. Elf, who ran in 2:48:17 (he also owns that mark for a half-marathon), spread Christmas cheer for 26.2 miles. 'We passed a retirement home at one mile, and they all had signs that said, 'Single and Ready to Mingle,'' Elf said. 'I wanted to stop but I had to keep going.' One runner, who almost succumbed to the Newton hills, felt the same. 'The last half of the marathon, you see so many people walking on the side,' he said. 'You're like, that could be me any minute.' Advertisement When asked to use a single word to sum up the experience, they went with 'free,' 'iconic,' 'endured,' 'inspired' and so on … if they felt compelled to narrow it down. 'One word?' said one young female runner from Austin, by way of Russia. 'I [expletive] finished the Boston Marathon!' Matt Porter can be reached at
Politico
20-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Not even the Fed knows what's next
Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. Quick Fix Progress on inflation has stalled. The Federal Reserve's growth expectations for 2025 have faded and fewer central bank policymakers think that they'll be able to stimulate the economy with two more interest rate cuts this year. How much confidence does Fed Chair Jerome Powell have in those projections? 'I don't know anyone who has a lot of confidence in their forecast,' the most powerful central banker in the world told reporters on Wednesday. Powell's comments, which followed the Fed's decision to hold short-term interest rates at their current level of 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent, underscore just how much President Donald Trump's administration has thrown central bankers, Wall Street leaders and investors into confusion. 'Forecasting is always really, really hard. And in the current situation, uncertainty is remarkably high,' Powell said, later adding that the central bank is 'well-positioned to wait for further clarity.' To crib a phrase from investor Richard Bernstein, certainty is now a scarcity in markets. The size and scope of new 'reciprocal' tariffs set to hit major trading partners on April 2 are still basically unknown, though they may ultimately affect trillions of dollars in imports. Wall Street investors and policy analysts are parsing statements from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett for forward guidance, but their collective commentary has done little to calm the markets. What's more, it's unclear how Trump's plans to deport millions of immigrants will impact a domestic labor market that defied gravity during the Fed's post-pandemic rate cycle. GOP leaders in Congress haven't agreed to a legislative framework for Trump's tax and spending priorities. The cuts from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency are difficult to quantify and any ongoing deregulation hasn't resonated with investors. It's the 'net effects' of Trump's agenda that will ultimately shape the economy and interest rates, Powell said. The danger, of course, is that Powell & Co. won't have a handle on those net effects until it's too late. Memories of Powell's claims that post-pandemic inflation would likely prove 'transitory' remain fresh. And even though the dour mood affecting traders and consumers hasn't resulted in an economic slowdown or price surges, analysts believe that both pose growing threats. (Hence the speculation that stagflation, Beelzebub for monetary policymakers, may be making a comeback.) To be clear, stagflation is not imminent or a foregone conclusion. The economy remains on relatively stable footing, even though consumer confidence and growth projections have clearly worsened. The stock market bounced on Powell's commentary that the price effects of new trade policies may be short-lived. The Fed now expects prices in core sectors of the economy to climb by 2.8 percent through the end of the year, a meaningful jump from the 2.5 percent estimated in December. Similarly, its growth estimate for 2025 dropped from 2.1 percent to 1.7 percent. How much conviction should you have in that forecast? Ask Powell. IT'S THURSDAY — Huge tip of the cap to Victoria Guida for surviving another Fed day. And as always, send econ policy thoughts, Wall Street tips, personnel moves and general thoughts to Sam at ssutton@ Driving the Day World Bank President Ajay Banga speaks at the Economic Club of Washington at 8 a.m. … Existing home sales data for February will be out at 10 a.m. … The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research hosts a discussion on homesteading at 10 a.m. … The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosts a virtual discussion at 10:30 a.m. on 'The EU's New Era of Trade and Geopolitical Challenges' The day in tariffs — Trump officials are 'laying the groundwork for an escalation in global economic hostilities,' WaPo's Jeff Stein and David Lynch reported on Wednesday. 'A person familiar with internal planning, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reflect private deliberations, confirmed administration officials are preparing tariffs on 'trillions' of dollars in imports.' — Meanwhile, in an appearance on Fox Business, Hassett signaled that many countries could emerge unscathed on April 2, per Doug Palmer. Welcome news for the Big Banks — In an interview on the 'All In' podcast published Wednesday, Bessent suggested that U.S. government debt should be carved out of the supplementary leverage ratio, Victoria reports. The Treasury secretary touted it as a way to lower interest costs. Big trouble for big law — Trump's sanctioning of major law firms Paul Weiss and Perkins Coie has forced Washington's white shoe firms to grapple with a major dilemma, 'keep their heads down and avoid cases that may pit them against the administration, or continue representing clients that might anger a president increasingly willing to use his power to seek vengeance,' reports Daniel Barnes. At the regulators If you say so — Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the Securities and Exchange Commission is backing down from its appeal of a 2023 decision in federal court that found that some sales of the company's XRP token were illegal under the securities laws while others were not. While the SEC declined to comment, the agency's decision to drop its appeal would represent a further de-escalation of its years-long legal battle against industry heavyweights, Declan Harty reports. — The venture capital giant Sequoia Capital is closing its Washington office and policy team, Fortune's Jessica Matthews reports. Big challenge for antitrust — Reams of consumer data held by businesses can shape corporate strategy, merger activity, pricing and — in financial services — credit decisions. But regulators that police merger activity aren't applying a uniform standard to how that data can affect market competition — potentially to the detriment of consumers, Linda Jeng, Jon Frost, Elisabeth Noble and Chris Brummer wrote in a new working paper published by the Bank for International Settlements. Critically, authorities like the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, 'may not effectively accommodate issues relating to large data sets at merging firms, particularly those that may be complementary and used for competitive advantage across multiple business and product lines.' Very odd — From Katy O'Donnell: 'An Elon Musk ally resigned his position on Fannie Mae's board of directors on Tuesday, just one day after he was named to the board.' — The board upheaval unleashed by newly confirmed Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte is raising doubts that the Trump's administration will move quickly with the expected privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Katy reports. The Economy First in MM: The economic outlook is grim, regardless of your media diet — New polling from the Democratic public affairs firm Global Strategy Group found that voters are increasingly bearish on how Trump's policies will affect the economy. While those results echo the pessimism reflected in other consumer surveys and nonpartisan polling, GSG also found that outlooks are fading regardless of media diet. Trump supporters are less likely to consume news from national publications or television. But mounting concerns about personal finances and inflation are breaking through regardless of how much faith they place in traditional media, according to the survey. In other words, 'personal experiences are shaping voters' perceptions more than the media filter that they're operating in,' Katie Drapcho, a vice president for research at GSG, told MM. 'What that tells us is that the economy is unique relative to other political issues,' she said. 'That does provide an opening for Democrats to engage on these issues because, regardless of where people are getting their information, they're sharing the same experiences and concerns when it comes to the economy.' At the border — Officials are cracking down on Americans attempting to sneak eggs across the border, CBC's Natalie Stechyson reports. Seizures are up by 116 percent compared to January and February of last year.
