Latest news with #Judas
NDTV
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Musk-Trump Saga is Not A Biblical Or Pop Culture Event. It's Dangerous
Cross your heart and confess: did you, or not, regret not spilling the beans, or tea, as Gen Z calls it, after being let down by a close friend and confidante? Did this regret pinch harder after the recent social media spat between two erstwhile chums? Have you never muttered, going through your former friend's feed, 'wow, liar'? Have you never typed out a 'truth bomb', either mentioning them by name or using only thinly veiled sobriquets, only to have second thoughts before pressing 'SEND'? In a self-congratulatory inner voice, you tell yourself, 'I'm not like them,' and feel smug in the goodness that you just attributed to yourself. Goodness, that has trumped deep hurt and petty vengeance. $38 Billion: The Price Of Revenge What is it worth, though? In the case of the wealthiest man on earth, only $38 billion. Elon Musk ended up losing a sum approximately equal to Bhutan's GDP from his personal net worth at the end of the day he spent trying to exact his pound of flesh from the president of the United States. Hurt and revenge are the same for the rich and mighty and the poor and hustling; only the price tags differ. If the James Bond movies are to be trusted, your most vicious enemy happens to be a jilted lover or a close accomplice. M, the MI6 chief, can only be brought down by Raoul Silva, a former agent. Silva is deeply hurt by Mother's (M) betrayal of him in the past and eventually exacts his revenge. Thus, Skyfall. This shadowy world of espionage, intrigue, and bloodshed, however, has certain principles. Silva ends M but does not paint the media red about M's misdemeanours. Judas And Brutus Let's go from Bond to Bible. Even Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, did not betray his 'master' openly. Kissing Christ's cheek and addressing him respectfully, Judas revealed the 'Son of God' to Herod's men. Even in his perfidy, Judas maintained decorum. A more public betrayal happened almost a century earlier when Julius Caesar was assassinated by close aide and friend Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus and other conspirators at Largo di Torre Argentina in Rome. 'Brutus is an honourable man,' seethed Mark Antony at Caesar's burial. And honourable he was, realigning his loyalty and friendship away from the man he thought was destroying the foundational principles of the Roman Republic. Nothing Noble Here In the Republican implosion underway in the US, however, where are the principles? Unless we agree to hold avarice, megalomania, and unquestioning allegiance as the founding precepts of the American juggernaut, this famous falling out is devoid of anything noble. No Resurrection, no advent of Octavian, not even a good 007 film. This exchange of barbs between two men who publicly promised to change the US and the world less than six months ago has only demonstrated what the nexus of mercantilism, inept policy-making, and self-serving politicking can achieve when two equally headstrong egotists hold all the levers. Why Musk and Trump are at each other's throats now is of lesser consequence than the trickle of information from their jibes at each other. Trump accuses Musk of being post-facto salty over the yet-to-be-presented Big Beautiful Bill, which is supposed to transform the US - whether for better or worse is subject to who you ask. Musk says that he wasn't even aware of the nitty-gritty of the bill, which he was never shown before he exited the White House. Both accuse each other of overplaying their hand. Both claim that the other is dispensable. Only time will tell. 'As Flies To Wanton Boys' What is truly dispensable is voters' trust. Or voters themselves. As reports kept streaming in of DOGE cuts translating into lost lives, both in present and future, due to a lack of funds, the chants of 'Make America Great Again' became louder. It's as if America got transformed into an amorphous human-less entity. Tariff wars competed with real wars. Amidst all of this, Trump and Musk began to drift apart. It will take several hundred man-hours to determine the damage caused to the American public and the rest of the world by the billionaire duo. It takes a third billionaire, the hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, to urge Trump and Musk to make up before it's too late. Musk has responded positively to him; no word from Trump yet. The POTUS is on a different platform. While the internet is abuzz with jokes and memes about this feud, the potentially dangerous aspects of the Trump-Elon partnership have yet to fully unfold. Musk is the personification of the tentative arbitrariness of the second Trump presidency. Or the arbitrary tentativeness. Where everything is big and beautiful one moment and a disaster the next. But it is the regular folk, the same ones madly refreshing their social feeds for the latest in this feud, who have been paying the price for such shenanigans and tantrums. When multi-billion-dollar contracts get cancelled, or trade deals spell disaster, ordinary people on the streets get swatted like flies. Like Shakespeare once wrote: 'As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; They kill us for their sport'.
Otago Daily Times
02-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
ORC's pest plan ‘partially effective'
Eradicating wallabies from the region is proving a challenge for the Otago Regional Council as credible sightings are increasing. Of the three pest species the council aims to eradicate from the region, the marsupials appear to be giving the council the most trouble, a new report suggests. PHOTO: SUPPLIED The Otago Regional Council is effective at raising awareness of the threats wallabies pose to the region, less so at actually dealing with the pest, a new report says. The mid-term review of the council's 2019-29 Otago regional pest management plan, by consultants Sapere, found the council was "partially effective" in achieving the objectives of its plan to exclude, eradicate, contain or control the 51 pest species it addresses. The council was graded as "effective" at excluding, or keeping out, six pest species identified in the plan — African feather grass, Chilean needle grass, egeria, false tamarisk, hornwort and moth plant. It was also effective at eradicating both rooks and spiny broom. The consultants found the council was effective in raising awareness of the wallaby issue in Otago but "not effective" in reducing populations and preventing spread. But there was hope, the review report said. In particular, the consultants were impressed with the council's work on its "Judas wallaby trials" where helicopter-based hunters follow GPS-collared wallabies to find other wallabies, which are destroyed. "Targeted monitoring by ORC has demonstrated effective outcomes, especially in controlling rooks, spartina, and spiny broom," the report said. "In wilding pine management, ORC has achieved partial effectiveness by leveraging national funding support. "While ORC's wallaby population control efforts are not effective at present, their collaboration with the national wallaby programme has yielded promising results. "Initiatives such as the Judas wallaby trials have contributed to developing targeted and cost-effective control measures." The report said containing wallabies, which could move up to 9km a day, was a challenge because there were limited numbers of the animals across a very large area. It said council staff told the reviewers the at present 1.5 fulltime staff positions would need to increase to five fulltime staff to meet the objectives of the pest plan. "A recent report identified that current funding is indeed too little to maintain gains and progressively eradicate wallabies in Otago, stating that $1.4 million is needed." The reviewers said the plan provided a "framework" for the council to identify priority pest species, set objectives for their control, and outline responsibilities for landowners, local authorities, and other stakeholders. Funding increased from $1.3 million in 2019-20 to $2m in 2021-22. It then jumped to $3.2m in 2021-22, then $3.8m (2022-23) and $4m (2023-24). "The increased funding reflects the fact that the 2019 [plan] introduced significant changes to align with national policies and address local pest management challenges more effectively." The review found overall, the council had made important investments, such as improving pest data capture and increasing its biosecurity team, in response to meeting the the pest management plan's objectives. The changes it had made were "significant", and the council could build on its progress in the first five years and achieve "greater effectiveness" by the conclusion of the 10-year plan. The report suggested "ineffective enforcement" was plaguing rabbit control efforts. Wilding pine containment suffered from inadequate "good neighbour" rules. It contained 13 recommendations to improve the 2019-29 plan and nine recommendations to help prepare the next 10-year pest plan.
AsiaOne
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Little Monsters flock to Maxwell Food Centre table that Lady Gaga dined at, Entertainment News
Where Mother Monster goes, her Little Monsters follow. After Lady Gaga was spotted dining at Maxwell Food Centre on Tuesday (May 20), fans have flocked to the exact table she sat at, some recreating the same meal. The pop star, who has four shows lined up in Singapore, sat at table 171 in front of Fortune Popiah stall. In photos shared online, the 39-year-old is seen enjoying Tsingtao beer, Milo dinosaur and local delicacies with her fiance Michael Polansky and friends. According to Xiaohongshu users, the seat that Lady Gaga sat on can be easily identified by the blue sticker underneath it. Now, the ubiquitous orange stool seat has become a hotspot and fans are recreating the meal she had. In a Xiaohongshu post, one user holds up a cup of Tsingtao beer and arranges the dishes on the table to resemble Gaga's meal. "By proximity, I'm sitting with Mother Monster," one fan captioned a picture of him dining at the same table. "I felt the same breeze that touched her. So, does this count as a virtual embrace?" another fan wrote in his post. In a separate video, two Little Monsters are seen dancing to the song Judas near table 171. "The stall owners are playing Lady Gaga's songs and Little Monsters are everywhere. I'm happy," the user wrote. Some netizens joked that fans would have to queue to take a picture at the table from now on. After playing three shows on May 18, 19 and 21, Lady Gaga will conclude her performances in Singapore with one last show on Saturday (May 24). [[nid:718249]]
Vogue Singapore
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Lady Gaga beauty looks to rock to the Mayhem Ball Tour
Lady Gaga has always been in a league of her own. The pop icon—who has created a distinctive discography so electrifying and true to her bold, passionate nature—has inspired a legion of fans, all of whom have felt seen and heard through the raw energy of her music. And they've certainly all been awoken once again in recent months, ever since she dropped the thunderous dance anthem that is 'Abracadabra' as part of her Mayhem album release. Just last month, she also brought the roof down at Coachella, with her maddening theatrics and a transportive setlist that reached millions of her fans around the globe. As for what's in the air this weekend? There's no shortage of mayhem in town, as Mother Monster herself opened the hall of fame for her Mayhem Ball Tour. The little monsters have come out to play, all taking turns to fall in for the pandemonium of a night with Lady Gaga herself. And whilst we're looking at some equally ferocious outfit mania amid concert-goers—one we can only expect to see more of in the days to come—we're bound to anticipate a scene of equally dramatic beauty looks too. She's a queen in that department after all. From her own concrete references to drag culture, as well as the longstanding establishment of her very own cult beauty brand Haus Labs, all signs point to one. Throughout her own scintillating career as well, the visual transformations were never short of a head-turning beauty beat. There were the Coca Cola can rollers in 'Telephone'—one we've even spotted a little monster sporting for Day 1. Then, the memorable hair bow of 'Poker Face'. Or when Mother gave us everything she had in 'Judas', with her abstract liner designs and thinly-pencilled brows. The beauty looks to take inspiration from run the gamut, so there's no reason why you shouldn't be giving the Mayhem Ball your full glam. Catch all the inspo you need and recreate some of Lady Gaga's most iconic beauty looks from her music videos here. YouTube 1 / 10 The lightning bolt for 'Just Dance' Young Gaga had $20 and a dream. There was no debut like 'Just Dance', and she aced the indie sleaze aesthetic with some messy tightlining and concealer lips. But it was the tribute to David Bowie—in a cobalt lightning tattoo down her right eye—that's certainly made it one to remember. YouTube 2 / 10 Coca Cola can hair rollers in 'Telephone' 'Telephone' was that song for so many reasons, but there's no anarchy like Mother Monster still serving looks on prison time. Coke cans as hair rollers? Iconic. YouTube 3 / 10 Pencil-thin brows in 'Judas' It was all about the eyes for 'Judas'. Matched to her signature plum lip, the music video saw her work a flipped (under) liner look with a drawn-in pencil brow look that would go on to have much more legs in pop culture later on. YouTube 4 / 10 Undone and ethereal in 'Applause' It was raw, it was sinister. 'Applause' came jam-packed with beauty looks to cop, from a smeared face paint moment to a doll-like porcelain appearance that teemed with the mood of John Galliano's runways. YouTube 5 / 10 Hair bow in 'Pokerface' To this day, the little monsters will be sure to bring up her hair bow moment from 'Pokerface' as one of her most legendary hairdos—one she went on to do many iterations of in her career. YouTube 6 / 10 The skeleton makeover of 'Born This Way' A tribute to the queer community, Gaga epitomised the message of her song in this skeletal body art look—one she collaborated on with her late muse and friend Zombie Boy to achieve. In a single capture, she defiantly created an image that everyone shared, and could identify with. YouTube 7 / 10 The cupid bow lip in 'Paparazzi' The very picture of weird. In her scheme to poison her on-screen boyfriend Alexander Skarsgård, the ending moments of 'Paparazzi' sees Gaga rock this blonde wig, some very lengthy lashes as well as a clownish cupid bow lip in a severe shade of black. YouTube 8 / 10 The austere glamour of 'Alejandro' Oh, the gothic beauty of 'Alejandro'. According to her longtime make-up collaborator Val Garland, it was time to pare back and give in to the incredible austerity of her own beauty. Beyond her vampy cold, red lips, her brows were bleached, her lashes and hair were her own, and her skin was given a frosty-pale sheen. YouTube 9 / 10 Punk swerves in 'The Edge of Glory' If there's a Gaga look that could scream punk, this would be it. With her half-bleached wig, the purposefully mussed-up liners and crimson red pout. YouTube 10 / 10 The royal reign of 'Abracadabra' A glorious return, if there ever was one. Mother Monster made sure to ascertain her status as a fashion and beauty chameleon with this comeback—and chose to go the monochromatic route of sunset lids and a brick red lip to go with her burgundy ensemble.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Lady Gaga's Decade-Old Smashes Grow To New Chart Peaks
Ever since Lady Gaga headlined Coachella and made history with the most-attended concert by a female performer in human history, her back catalog has been soaring. Several of the pop singer's classics — the tunes that turned her into the superstar she is today, one capable of both headlining Coachella and performing for millions at one time — have returned to prominence globally, as people all around the planet continue to stream her older cuts. This week, several of those beloved songs continue climbing Billboard's worldwide lists, hitting new peaks and returning to the ears of what must be a massive audience. At the moment, Gaga fills five spaces on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. The first tally ranks the most consumed songs worldwide, blending both sales and streaming data, while the latter operates in a similar fashion, but excludes all listening from the U.S. Three of those five tracks that appear on both rankings reach new high points this frame. 'Poker Face' is Gaga's highest-rising tune this week that hits a new peak. It bolts into the top 40 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., jumping from No. 67 to No. 28. It nearly enters that same tier on the Billboard Global 200 as well, leaping from No. 85 to No. 45. Those now stand as the loftiest spots 'Poker Face' has ever reached. Gaga almost sees a pair of tunes shoot into the top 40 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., as 'Judas' soars from No. 140 to No. 42 — an almost 100-space jump in one frame. That same Born This Way single also rockets up the Billboard Global 200, climbing from No. 189 to No. 73. In just its fourth frame ever, 'Bad Romance' rocks to never-before-seen peaks on both tallies. It settles at Nos. 81 and 55 on the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., respectively, jumping dozens of spaces in only a few days. Gaga also reaches another peak on the Billboard Global 200 with 'Just Dance,' her introductory smash. That track debuted at No. 200 in last place just one week ago, and in its second frame on the list, it ascends to No. 130. It doesn't manage to appear on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., though. At the same time, 'Shallow,' her Oscar-winning collaboration with Bradley Cooper, reappears on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 156. It also can't be found on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., like 'Just Dance' – though it's not up to a new high this time around. Singles taken from Mayhem, her most recent full-length, also appear on both worldwide tallies, but they don't hit new peaks. 'Abracadabra' returns to the top 10, settling at No. 7 on both rankings. 'Die With a Smile' remains in charge of the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and holds the runner-up spot on the Billboard Global 200.
