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Seahawks have taken a bumpy path to first place in the NFC West
Warning: Do not pay full price for new games on Steam this weekend49ers’ Christian McCaffrey will go on injured reserve, likely joined by Jordan Mason
“Y.M.C.A.” singer and co-writer Victor Willis of the band Village People defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the song Monday on Facebook . Willis denied that the disco tune was intended as a “gay anthem,” saying he “knew nothing about the Y being a hang out for gays” when he wrote the lyrics. Willis said he wrote “Y.M.C.A.” based on what he knew about the worldwide youth organization at the time, particularly the YMCA branches in the urban areas of San Francisco. “When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he said of one of the song’s most notable lines. Willis said he has received more than 1,000 complaints about the use of “Y.M.C.A” at Trump’s campaign rallies. Trump began dancing to the 1978 hit at the end of his rallies in 2020 — and still does. Data suggests the staple campaign moment drove the song up the charts, with search interest and listenership soaring on Election Day. Athletes began mimicking Trump’s dance to the disco classic on the field soon after, raising questions about the presence of politics in sports. Willis said he asked Trump to stop using the song because his use became a “nuisance.” He said Trump had obtained a political use license for the song from BMI, which enforces music performance rights, and therefore had every right to continue to use it — which he did. As other artists began to oppose Trump’s use of their music in campaign rallies, Willis said he didn’t “have the heart” to prevent him from using “Y.M.C.A.” He said he told his wife, who is also the band’s manager, to inform BMI not to withdraw Trump’s licensing to use the song. In turn, Willis said, he made more money off it. “For example, Y.M.C.A. was stuck at #2 on the Billboard chart prior to the President Elect’s use. However, the song finally made it to #1 on a Billboard chart after over 45 years (and held on to #1 for two weeks) due to the President Elect’s use,” Willis wrote in the post, adding that “the financial benefits have been great.” Willis said the “false assumption” that “Y.M.C.A.” is a gay anthem may be due to several factors: His writing partner and several members of the Village People were gay, the band’s first album was “totally about gay life,” and “the YMCA was apparently being used as some sort of gay hangout.” Nonetheless, he stressed that the song is not a gay anthem and said people should get their “minds out of the gutter.” Willis said that he doesn’t mind that the song is considered a gay anthem but that the false assumptions are “damaging to the song.” Starting in January, he said, his wife will sue any news organization that refers to “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem. Trump’s team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many of us have felt it, and now it's official: "brain rot" is the Oxford dictionaries' word of the year. Oxford University Press said Monday that the evocative phrase "gained new prominence in 2024," with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before. Oxford defines brain rot as "the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging." The word of the year is intended to be "a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months." "Brain rot" was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. While it may seem a modern phenomenon, the first recorded use of "brain rot" was by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 ode to the natural world, "Walden." Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said that in its modern sense, "'brain rot' speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time." "It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year," he said. Last year's Oxford word of the year was "rizz," a riff on charisma, used to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person. Collins Dictionary's 2024 word of the year is "brat" – the album title that became a summer-living ideal.
Odisha: Two women tied to tree, harassed for celebrating Christmas
The Singapore footballers arrived in Vietnam aware of their mission: Strike early to silence the vociferous home crowd in a bid to claw back the 2-0 semi-final, first-leg deficit at the Asean Championship. And while the Lions were able to find the net as early as the 10th minute, it was contentiously ruled out in the first sign of what would ultimately be a night of frustration as the Lions’ comeback mission unravelled at the Viet Tri Stadium in the Phu Tho province. On Dec 29, it was Vietnam, backed by a raucous sea of 15,284 supporters, who emerged 3-1 victors for a 5-1 aggregate victory. Lions captain Hariss Harun, who collected his 138th cap, was downcast after the final whistle as he trudged to the team bus with his teammates. When asked about Faris Ramli’s disallowed goal, the 34-year-old shrugged his shoulders and said: “it is what it is.” He added: “When we saw the ball hit the net, we were all given an extra boost. We wanted to get the ball and start again, but then there was a long wait. So it was tough. “It’s always tough to come here to play. I think we threw everything that we possibly could. “Sometimes these things happen in football, we have to deal with it. We have to accept it and move on.” Despite the setback, Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura was pleased with the gutsy display. “Today our players... showed that (they can) play our football. I’m very proud of our players, that they are improving more and more, game by game,” he said. “Today they were not scared, not afraid to play against the Vietnam national team. They (the Vietnamese side) are a good team, but we still kept fighting and showed the fighting spirit.” The Lions had started the match like men on a mission despite the chilly, 16 deg C temperature at kick-off, unsettling the hosts with aggressive pressing in the opening exchanges. And it seemed to have paid off when Faris’ header was helped into the net by Vietnam defender Bui Tien Dung, only for referee Lutfullin Rustam to rule it out. The Uzbekistan official had gone to the pitch-side monitor during the video assistant referee (VAR) review and after a seven-minute wait, he confirmed the decision, much to the dismay of the Singaporeans. Replays did not make it clear if there was a clear infringement. And there was more anguish when the hosts got the opener in the first half. In the 38th minute, Vietnam’s Brazilian-born forward Rafaelson fell to the ground as a free kick was whipped in and the referee, after reviewing the footage, pointed to the spot as the crowd erupted. Replays revealed that Lions defender Lionel Tan tugged Rafaelson’s jersey in the penalty box but confusion ensued when the referee showed Tan a second yellow card for the foul, believing the player had already received a caution earlier. Following vehement protest by Tan, and after consulting his assistant referees, Rustam rescinded the red card, allowing Tan to remain on the field. When the drama settled in first-half stoppage time, Rafaelson stepped up to score, prompting deafening celebrations. It was a strike that also seemed to suck the motivation out of the Lions’ ranks. They would concede again in the 63rd minute when Nguyen Hoang Duc won possession in the Lions box and dribbled past Tan and Amirul Adli before Rafaelson poked home for his fifth goal in three appearances for his adopted nation. Singapore would then get their first goal of the tie in the 74th minute when Japan-born midfielder Kyoga Nakamura, who missed the first leg due to suspension, saw his strike from distance rifle into the bottom corner of the post. Vietnam added another goal from the spot in stoppage time through Nguyen Tien Linh, after Amirul had shoved Nguyen Van Vi in the box. Two-goal hero Rafaelson, awed by the fans’ “special” reception, said: “Everyone worked hard and did their best and we are in the final. I want to thank fans for their support and pushing us.” And as the final whistle blew on the match and Singapore’s involvement in the latest edition of the biennial tournament, red flares lit up the night sky outside the stadium as the Vietnam party kicks into gear. For the Lions, the post-mortem will begin. But as far as Hariss is concerned, it is time to move forward. He said: “We gave a good fight. Today we tried to turn the deficit but Vietnam are a quality team and we have to move on now. “It’s progress for us making it past the group stage after a while. Over the course of the tournament, the team did really well. The team improved as the games go on, but there’s still lots of aspects we can improve on.” However, his involvement in the Lions’ next progression was thrown into doubt when the skipper, questioned if this could be his national swansong, answered: “Possibly, let’s see.”How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 12/2/2024Barclays PLC Has $1.81 Million Position in Ichor Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ:ICHR)Free tax filing with IRS Direct File: What you need to know
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