Day: February 15, 2021

Frigid Arctic Air, Winter Storms Grip Much of US

Much of the United States was in the icy grip of an “unprecedented” winter storm on Monday as frigid Arctic air sent temperatures plunging, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, making driving hazardous and leaving millions without power in Texas.Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for the southern state, and the National Weather Service (NWS) said more than 150 million Americans were under winter weather advisories.”I urge all Texans to remain vigilant against the extremely harsh weather,” Abbott said in a statement.The NWS described conditions as an “unprecedented and expansive area of hazardous winter weather” from coast-to-coast.More than 2.7 million people were without power in Texas, according to PowerOutage.us, and temperatures in the major metropolis of Houston dipped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit (minus nine Celsius).President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Texas on Sunday providing federal assistance to supplement state relief efforts.Texas is not used to such brutal winter weather and the storm caused havoc in parts of the state, including a 100-car pileup on Interstate 35 near Fort Worth last week that left at least six people dead.Austin-Bergstrom International Airport said that all flights had been canceled on Monday due to the “historic weather” and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport also shut down.The NWS said Arctic air was driving a “polar plunge” that is expected to bring record-low temperatures.Much of the United States has been shivering under chilly temperatures for days, with about half of all Americans now under some sort of winter weather warning.Temperatures have dropped across the country, with only parts of the southeast and southwest dodging it.The cold snap has led to heavy snowfalls and ice storms that have caused a spike in electricity demand and power outages.A truck drives past a highway sign on Feb. 15, 2021, in Houston. A frigid blast of weather across the U.S. plunged Texas into an unusually icy emergency Monday that knocked out power to more than 2 million people.’Polar plunge’ Besides Texas, weather-related emergencies have also been declared in Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.More than 300,000 customers are without power in Oregon.”Over 150 million Americans are currently under winter storm warnings, ice storm warnings, winter storm watches, or winter weather advisories as impactful winter weather continues from coast to coast,” the NWS said.”This impressive onslaught of wicked wintry weather across much of the Lower 48 (states) is due to the combination of strong Arctic high pressure supplying sub-freezing temperatures and an active storm track escorting waves of precipitation.”The NWS said record low temperatures were expected in much of the country.”Hundreds of daily low maximum and minimum temperatures have been/will be broken during this prolonged ‘polar plunge,’ with some February and even all-time low temperature records in jeopardy,” it said.In a large area known as the southern Plains that spans parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, temperatures are expected to fall well below typical readings for the time of year.”Temperature anomalies are likely to be 25 to 45 degrees (Fahrenheit) below normal for much of the central and southern Plains,” the NWS said.It said six to 12 inches of snow was forecast from the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes to northern New England.Florida will remain the warmest spot in the continental United States, with highs above normal and temperatures generally around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius).

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Seals Stage Comeback on France’s Northern Coast

Crowds of seals lie on the sand, some wriggling towards the water, on the northern French coast where they are staging a comeback. Drone images show around 250 wild grey seals, adults and cubs, frolicking at low tide near the town of Marck. Seals started to disappear from the Cote d’Opale in the 1970s, under pressure from fishermen who saw them as rivals for their catch. Seals, which have no natural predators in the English Channel, have been a protected species in France since the 1980s and as a result they have begun to return to the coast. Rescued grey seal cubs wait for fish during their quarantine at LPA animal refuge in Calais, France, Feb. 13, 2021.”At low tide, they settle here to get fat, to rest and to prepare for their upcoming hunt at sea,” seal enthusiast Jerome Gressier told Reuters. According to a 2018 report of the Hauts-de-France region’s Eco-Phoques project, at least 1,100 seals now live in the area. In the region’s Baie de Somme, harbor seal numbers grew by 14.4% between 1990 and 2017, while grey seals rose by 20%, the study found. Gressier uses a long-focus lens to identify injured seals. “It allows us to see if there are any animals who are caught in nets,” he said. “It hurts them enormously if they are caught by the neck.” Injured seals are treated at a nearby animal rescue center in Calais. Center manager Christel Gressier says many of the animals they deal with are seals, some abandoned by their mothers. “At around three weeks, the mother will quickly teach it to hunt, but if the seal is not able to manage, or do it quickly enough, she leaves and she goes about her business,” she said. “It is at this moment that we can intervene for seals that would not have been able to adapt quickly enough.” 
 

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With 3 Ebola Cases Confirmed, Guinea Prepares to Welcome MSF Mission

After three Ebola cases were confirmed in Guinea, local health authorities declared an outbreak in the rural area of Gouéké in N’Zerekore on January 14.In response to the newly reported cases, Doctors Without Borders (MSF, for its French acronym) announced it is putting together a mission to address the outbreak in Guinea.“We know from past experience that the speed of the response is important, both in order to contain transmission and to provide treatment for people who have caught the disease,” said Frederik van der Schrieck, MSF’s head of mission in Guinea. “We also know that community engagement is vital.”“We will try to get the right balance between responding quickly and taking steps to make sure the community is a willing and active participant in both prevention and response,” Van der Schrieck added. “Alongside treatment for Ebola, contact tracing and other community-based activities will be absolutely vital.”This marks the first time Ebola has been reported in the country since the devastating 2014 outbreak in West Africa. 

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Winter Weather, Record Cold Grips Much of Central-Southern US

More than 150 million people in the central and southern United States were under winter storm warnings or advisories Monday, with record-breaking cold temperatures gripping the nation from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.
 
The south-central state of Texas may be takin g the worst of the winter weather.  Hit by ice storms last week that led to a deadly, 100-vehicle pileup on a freeway, on Sunday much of the state saw snow, more ice and unusually cold temperatures. The thermometer at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport early Monday read –8.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature there in 32 years.
 
Officials in charge of the state’s electricity grid said the storms and frigid temperatures locked up wind turbines on Sunday, reducing power output.  Meanwhile, the cold weather created excessive energy demand prompting electric companies to implement rolling blackouts.
 
Officials say at least 2.5 million people were without power early Monday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott reached out to U.S. President Joe Biden, who, Sunday, declared a state of emergency for Texas, authorizing U.S. agencies to coordinate.
 
While forecasters say Texas and the rest of the central U.S. are likely to see more record-breaking cold into Tuesday, the winter weather is already moving to the east. Louisiana is among those states under a winter storm warning with snow, ice, and temperatures at or below freezing already hitting much of the state.

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Good Dogs! 20 Years of Covering Westminster Kennel Club Show

To every sport, there’s a season, a spot on the calendar that fans mark for the big event. World Series, October. College hoops, March. Indy 500, Memorial Day.
For dog owners, it’s right around Valentine’s Day. That’s when they normally cuddle up on the couch with their precious pooch to watch the Super Bowl of Dogs — the Westminster Kennel Club show.
This year, they’ll have to wait for the coveted best in show. Because of coronavirus concerns, the competition was moved from Madison Square Garden this weekend to mid-June at an outdoor estate about 25 miles north of New York City.
For now, AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker and wife Ginger Tidwell share their fondest memories from the green carpet over 20 paws-itively wonderful years covering Westminster: Uno, a 15-inch beagle, poses with his trophy after winning Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 12, 2008.He’s Numero Uno!
Beagles had always been in the Westminster doghouse. No matter how cute, poor ol’ Snoopy had never, ever won the grand prize. Bow-wow bummer.
That changed in 2008 when perhaps the greatest show dog of all time showed up. A tri-colored package of personality-plus, Uno quickly bayed his way to fan favorite.
A sold-out Garden crowd chanted his name as judge J. Donald Jones studied the seven finalists for nearly three minutes, mulling over his pick for best in show. They say there’s no cheering in the press box, but having been raised in Maryland with beagles — Charlie, Gatsby, Sam and Jake — I looked at Ginger and prayed this was our moment.
When Jones said, “May I have the beagle,” the place went bonkers.
“Ah-roo!” Uno erupted. “Ah-roo!”
This little, merry hound enjoyed a terrific life. He visited President George W. Bush at the White House, rode in a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and brought out the first ball at Busch Stadium and Miller Park.
Uno lived till 13, spending his last years on a ranch in Texas and playing with his buddy, a neighbor’s potbellied pig.
Happy trails, champ.Got Some Grub?
Sometimes the dog that everybody’s barking about isn’t the best in show. Like, Dario the Leonberger.
Winning wasn’t on this big guy’s mind when he romped around the ring in the 2016 working group competition. Naw, he only wanted to gnaw at his handler’s pocket, trying to scarf up a treat.
Doggedly determined, the 2 1/2-year-old eating machine kept nipping at Sam Mammano’s gray suit, hoping to grab some loose rebounds. A dog just being a dog … and the crowd went crazy, hollering with every step and every bite.
He didn’t win, that went CJ the German shorthaired pointer. But Dario earned a place in dogdom lore forever.
We rushed from our seats on the floor to catch up with Mammano backstage, right after he left the ring. He was a little disappointed, but also could see the charm.
“Good comic relief,” he said. “He’s a young, silly dog and was just having fun.”K-9 Heroes
Most years, a dog like Appollo wouldn’t get close to the green carpet at the Garden. But the show in 2002 was no ordinary show.
With New York City still in shock from the 9/11 terrorist attacks,  20 search and rescue dogs were honored  for their tireless work at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
At 10, Appollo the German shepherd was getting a bit gray in the muzzle, his teeth were yellowing. He didn’t look like the 2,500 perfectly primped pooches around him.
Yet there was hardly a dry eye as the 10,000 spectators stood and cheered for the German shepherds, retrievers and their partners, an ovation usually reserved for the star athletes who played in the arena. It was hard not to be swept up in the emotion.
A spotlight featured them as they walked one by one into the center ring and actress Glenn Close sang “God Bless America” during the 15-minute ceremony.
Not the usual reception for this group.
“We were pretty nervous,” said Lt. Daniel Donadio, head of the New York Police Department’s K-9 unit. “We’d rather face gunmen than the crowd.”Underdogs
Each year, there are the favorites. J.R. the bichon frise, Mick the Kerry blue terrier, Banana Joe the affenpinscher. Wire fox terriers and poodles always seem to take home the hallowed silver bowl.
Then there was Stump.
With floppy ears and a slow roll, the golden-red Sussex spaniel didn’t make our early list of potential champions in 2009. How could he? Retired from the ring for five years, it was just five days before the show when handler Scott Sommer thought Stump might like to take one final walk at the Garden.
What a walk! At 10 — that’s almost 70 in human years — Stump became the oldest Westminster winner ever.
He was in good company among unlikely top dogs over the years. Rufus the colored bull terrier had a football-shaped noggin and won by a head. Hickory the Scottish deerhound was a rare champion. Big, barkin’ Josh the Newfoundland slobbered around the ring, then nearly knocked over Ginger in the winner’s circle.
And Stump. That old dog sure taught the young pups some new tricks.Pooch Planet
Seeing an Azawakh at the Garden was unusual. Loosely called an African greyhound, they made their Westminster debut last year.
Seeing the woman cheering them on was even more eye-catching. Dressed in bright pink and wearing a colorful hijab, Aliya Taylor realized she stood out.
“Like a sore thumb,” she laughed.
The retired Philadelphia police officer is among the few Muslims in the dog show world.
“Our sport welcomes people from all walks of life,” said Gail Miller Bisher, the television host of the event. “That’s our common bond, dogs.”
Hiram Stewart made history in 2003 when he guided Les the Pekingese into the final best-in-show ring. It had been three decades since an African American handler made it that far.
“Maybe this will raise awareness of our sport among people of color,” he said at the time. “It might give people of color something to aspire to.”
In a competition that can include a Norwegian elkhound, Australian shepherd and Chinese shar-pei, the people come from all over the world, too. Born in Mexico, Gabriel Rangel is among the most successful handlers in history.
He’s won best in show three times at Westminster. In 2014, he guided Sky the wire fox terrier to victory. One of the perks was a walk-on part at the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Kinky Boots.”
Ginger had the pleasure of dog-sitting Sky in a third-floor dressing room when he wasn’t on stage. Almost every actor dropped by during the show to pet him and pose for a picture.
Having never tended such a prized pooch, Ginger wondered what to do if the dog got hungry. Surely some special high-performance, ultra-healthy food was in order, right?
Nope, said Rangel’s wife, Ivonne.
“Just go get him a hot dog,” she said.

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Entertainment Becomes Political as Politics Becomes Entertainment

The line between politics and entertainment is increasingly blurred in America, where a former reality TV star recently served as president and entertainment has become more political. The content people choose to watch and listen to reflects a politically divided country, and as VOA’s Elizabeth Lee shows, the division often cuts across families.Produced by: Elizabeth Lee

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Duchess of Sussex Expecting 2nd Child, A Sibling for Archie

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their second child, their office confirmed Sunday.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, said in a statement: “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are pictured in this undated handout photo supplied to Reuters, following an announcement that they are expecting their second child.In a black-and-white photo of themselves, the couple sat near a tree with Harry’s hand placed under Meghan’s head as she lies on his lap with her hand resting on her bump.
The baby will be eighth in line to the British throne.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Her Majesty, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and the entire family are delighted and wish them well.”
The duke told chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall in 2019 that he would only have two children for the sake of the planet.
Goodall said: “Not too many,” and Harry replied: “Two, maximum.”  
Harry and American actor Meghan Markle married at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son Archie was born a year later.
In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.
In November, Meghan revealed that she had a miscarriage in July 2020, giving a personal account of the traumatic experience in hope of helping others.
A few days ago, the duchess won a privacy claim against a newspaper over the publication of a personal letter to her estranged father.

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Hotel Quarantine Under Scrutiny as Australian State Races to Contain COVID-19 Outbreak 

As the Australian state of Victoria enters its third day of a snap COVID-19 lockdown, the national medical association is calling for urgent changes to infection control in hotel quarantine.  Australian travelers returning from overseas must go into isolation for at least 14 days on arrival, but doctors are worried that the airborne transmission of the virus is not being taken seriously enough.   Biosecurity is a growing concern for Australia’s hotel quarantine system after new and highly contagious variants of COVID-19 were detected among returned travelers.   A five-day lockdown imposed in Victoria state Friday was in response to a cluster of infections at a hotel at Melbourne airport.  Infections were passed from passengers to staff, allowing the virus to spread into the community.  The lockdown was ordered to give contact tracers enough time to track known associates of those who have tested positive to the virus.    Doctors, however, believe that ventilation and personal protective equipment for hotel workers needs to be urgently reviewed.   Chris Moy, the federal vice president of the Australian Medical Association, says bio-security controls need to be tightened.   “Quarantine is our first and most important line of defense.  There have been holes punched in it, particularly with these new strains.  It is not just droplets’ spread, which is the big droplets which, you know, you just cough out.  It just stays quite local, to this airborne spread where essentially COVID can be taken up as a mist and stay in the air, and therefore be far more infectious for a long period of time,”  said Moy.  Victoria is in its third coronavirus lockdown since the pandemic began.     FILE – A business is chained and padlocked on the first day of a five-day lockdown implemented in the state of Victoria in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 13, 2021.More citizens are being allowed to return to New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, from Monday, but the Victorian government has suggested that repatriation flights be heavily restricted to curb the spread of new virus variants.  FILE – A mostly empty domestic terminal at Sydney Airport is seen after surrounding states shut their borders to New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 21, 2020.State premier Daniel Andrews said Australia had to have a “cold, hard discussion” about reducing international arrivals.   His comments have caused anger and dismay among thousands of Australians stranded overseas.   Foreign nationals were banned from Australia last March, but citizens and permanent residents can return.  They face mandatory quarantine on arrival and weekly quotas are limiting the number of travelers allowed home.   The government in Canberra has also announced it will stop quarantine-free travel for New Zealanders, after three COVID-19 cases were recorded in Auckland, which has been placed into a snap three-day lockdown.   Australia’s first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine has arrived, but federal authorities have conceded that its distribution across such a vast country would not be a flawless exercise.  A mass inoculation program is due to begin by the end of the month.   Australia has recorded just under 29,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.  Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand has detected about 2,200 infections.    

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I Got Vaccinated Against COVID: What’s Next? 

What happens after you received both doses of the COVID vaccine? Lesia Bakalets looked into how much life changes, if at all. Anna Rice narrates her story. 

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