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National Guard Assassin Not Only Tied to CIA, but USAID as Well

After a quarter of a century, one console still reigns supreme.It has been nearly 25 years to the day since iconic photos and video of the Paris launch showed just how crazy the world was for PlayStation 2.'I never leave my house.'On November 24, 2000, crowds in Europe lined up, camped, and even pushed through crowds to get their hands on a PlayStation 2 for the first time. The launch was almost a month after the American Oct. 26 debut and signified a true consumerism-fueled riot that became synonymous with Black Friday.From its launch day through Christmas 2000, Sony said it sold 1.35 million units in North America and another 1 million units in Europe during that same period.The PS2 has sold an average of over 6 million consoles per year since then, or 500,000 per month, totaling more than 160 million lifetime units sold as of this November.RELATED: A kid got a mint PS1 from his grandpa, and the internet is freaking out As reported by Techgaged.com, the PS2 eclipses two Nintendo products at the top of the list.The second-most sales are for the handheld Nintendo DS at 154 million, followed by the Nintendo Switch portable console at 152 million.A steep drop occurs for fourth place with the original Game Boy, released in 1989, having 118 million units sold. Sony's PS1 and Nintendo's Wii are the only other gaming systems to have sold over 100 million.Interestingly, the PlayStation 2's main competitors during its era, the Nintendo GameCube (launched in North America on Nov. 18, 2001) and the original Xbox (launched in North America on Nov. 15, 2001), do not even crack the top-20 list. The Xbox, Microsoft's first foray into gaming systems, has sold 24.65 million units in its lifetime, while the GameCube has sold 21.74 million units.Both company's modern systems — Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch — have already surpassed the sales of their 2000s counterparts.RELATED: The price tag on Mark Zuckerberg's bid for 'superintelligence' will blow your mind. Will the product? Photo By Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images The PS2 was so pervasive, historical image banks provide a bounty of time capsules showing celebrities flooding PS2-themed parties that were constantly taking place to promote the product.There were events like the PlayStation 2 and the Hip-Hop Summit "Race to the Polls" event in 2004, or the mouthful, PlayStation 2 Celebrates Red White and Blue with Poolside Party at the Bentley Hotel in NYC, temporarily referred to as the PlayStation 2 Hotel for the occasion, in 2003.Super Bowl parties became linked with the console during that era too. The Sony PlayStation 2 Game Over Party saw celebrities like NSYNC in its first year and Paris Hilton in its second year. In fact, the celebrity sightings and performances connected to PS2 events at that time are nearly limitless.If readers don't believe the PS2 was as much of a cross-cultural phenomenon as it seems, refer to this quote from "Friends" actor Matthew Perry in 2000."I used to have a social life, go on dates, go to dinner parties, have a job. Now all I do is sit in a big chair and play PlayStation 2," Perry said, per Digital Journal. "I never leave my house. My friends have wondered what happened to me. Howard Hughes must have had one of these."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The confusing saga continues surrounding a Dallas Cowboys tradition that happens almost every year.During a spectacular 31-28 Thanksgiving win against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson somehow avoided a fine for performing a controversial celebration, but he may have gotten off on a technicality.'Nothing like a Zeke being dropped into one of our kettles!'As announced by tattoo-laden singer Post Malone, the Cowboys continued their Thanksgiving- and Christmas-season partnership with the Salvation Army. This included the tradition of placing giant red kettles behind the endzones, directly in front of the first row of fans.During the third quarter, Ferguson seemingly tapped his toes into the endzone for an epic touchdown, ran over to one of the kettles at AT&T Stadium, and jumped in. No flag was thrown on this play for excessive celebration, and the NFL has not announced any fines.However, this is where things get confusing.RELATED: 'We're getting set up': NFL running back says league is baiting players into getting celebration fines Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott climbed into a Salvation Army kettle after a touchdown run in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Richard W. Rodriguez/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) After a lengthy review, Ferguson's touchdown was overturned and taken off the scoreboard, adding another curveball to an already convoluted situation given that the kettle celebration has been overlooked by the NFL at times, while also resulting in fines in some instances.In 2024, the kettle's use in post-touchdown antics caused such a stir that Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown boldly made the claim that the league was baiting players into getting fined.With four kettles placed around the field, Brown apparently couldn't help but jump into one during a matchup against the Cowboys. He was subsequently fined $5,481 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct.The enforcement surrounding the celebration has been about as inconsistent as imaginable, dating back to former Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott performing the act in 2016. That year, the celebration was so well received it even garnered praise from the Salvation Army."Nothing like a Zeke being dropped into one of our kettles!" the organization wrote on X, then Twitter.Strangely, the following year the NFL started its own confusing tradition of going back and forth on punishing the celebration.RELATED: Salvation Army gives perfect response to reporter who ripped Ezekiel Elliott's epic TD celebration ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 23: Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) jumps into the Salvation Army Kettle after returning an interception for a touchdown during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders on November 23, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) In 2017, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman jumped into one of the kettles after returning an interception for a touchdown; he was not fined but got penalized during the game.In 2018 though, Elliott performed the celebration again, but this time was fined $13,369 by the NFL.Fast-forward to 2022 when the NFL managed to confuse players and fans even more. A Whac-a-Mole celebration in late November had three Cowboys players get into a kettle and see no discipline at all. One week later, the Cowboys, including Elliott, used a kettle in a different unique celebration. This time, participants Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott were fined $13,261 for unsportsmanlike conduct.On Thanksgiving 2023, a seemingly preplanned celebration that involved four Cowboys players eating turkey legs that were inside a kettle did not result in any fines.As the confusing tradition continues, the Salvation Army did not make mention of the celebration on its X account in 2025. The charity showcased only its partnership with the Cowboys, sharing a video of the aforementioned Post Malone.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Another gut-wrenching day for the country.

Absolute SLOBS: ABC Wrecked for Sharing Sob Story 5 TIMES About ICE SNAGGING Young Woman 'Traveling Home'

Autonomous vehicles are changing the nature of warfare, particularly underwater drones, and a new submarine from Indonesia is turning heads.

President Donald Trump said that his administration may deport the family of the Afghan refugee who allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers blocks from the White House on Wednesday.

Good quality, great value gear for budding astrophotographers to look out for during Black Friday weekend.

Runners and triathletes, do not miss this tasty Black Friday deal: the newly-released Garmin Forerunner 970 is now $100 off and at its lowest-ever price.