TCI TODAY AND TONIGHT THURSDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2021
TCI WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS TODAY. FAIR AND BREEZY TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 84°F 29°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 72°F 22°C
SUNRISE: 6:36 AM SUNSET: 6:08 PM
MOONSET: 4:38 PM MOONRISE: 6:17 AM FRI.
HIGH TIDE: 6:11 AM & 6:28 PM
LOW TIDE: 12:38 PM & 12:36 AM FRI.
EXTENDED FORECAST: (FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS) A BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL SUPPORT MOSTLY STABLE CONDITIONS AND BRISK WINDS ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND.
Tiger Woods "awake" and "recovering" following rollover car crash
Golfing legend Tiger Woods is "awake, responsive, and recovering" after a serious rollover car crash early Tuesday morning in Southern California.
"Mr. Woods suffered significant orthopaedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by Orthopaedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center," Anish Mahajan, MD, Chief Medical Officer & Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said in a statement late Tuesday night on Woods' Twitter account.
He is currently recovering in his hospital room after undergoing a long surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being brought to the hospital, officials said.
Investigators will be determining if distracted driving was a factor, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. There was no evidence of impairment, he said.
"Thankfully, the interior was more or less intact, which kind of gave him the cushion to survive what otherwise would have been a fatal crash," added Villanueva.
Woods also was wearing a seatbelt, which authorities said may have also played a part in saving his life.
Woods was going to a second day of shooting for sponsor GolfTV with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert when the crash took place, according to ESPN.
House Republican leaders clash over Trump speaking at CPAC
Former President Donald Trump and his future with the GOP was the subject of an awkward clash Wednesday between two House Republican leaders.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy was unequivocal when asked if Trump should be speaking this Sunday at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference -- the large gathering of GOP and conservative leaders -- where Trump intends to focus on the election and press the narrative that he won it in a landslide.
"Yes he should," McCarthy, who recently went to visit Trump in Mar-a-Lago, replied.
House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican who voted to impeach Trump and became his target, gave a different answer.
"That's up to CPAC ... I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country," Cheney said as she stood behind McCarthy.
Representative Steve Scalise, the second-ranking House Republican, who also has visited Trump in Florida, shook his head.
McCarthy is slated to speak Saturday at the CPAC convention in Orlando, Florida.
Source- ABC
Djokovic dominates Medvedev to win record-extending ninth Australian Open
Peerless world number one Novak Djokovic demolished Russia's Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to win his ninth Australian Open title and extend his record-breaking reign at Melbourne Park yesterday.
Djokovic overpowered the fourth seed 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in front of 7,400 fans on Rod Laver Arena to end the Russian's unbeaten run at 20 matches.
In winning a third-straight Australian Open for the second time, the Serb claimed his 18th Grand Slam title to move within two of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who have 20 each, while denying Medvedev his first.
Rarely has a player been so dominant at a single tournament, with the Serb's record-extending ninth title moving him past Federer's eight at Wimbledon, but still some way behind the 13 Nadal has won at Roland Garros.
But it was a roller-coaster ride to get there, with Djokovic dropping five sets en route to the final and battling an abdominal tear that nearly forced him to pull out after the third round.
Despite admitting it was a gamble to keep playing, with a risk the injury could get worse and affect the rest of his season, the 33-year-old chose to continue and it paid off.
He said, though, that the problem was “not healed” and he planned to take time off with no tournament commitments locked in after Australia.
Source-BBC
Tournament key to WI preparation for Sri Lanka series, says Grave
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chief Executive Officer Johnny Grave says the successful staging of the Super50 Cup will have positive repercussions for the West Indies team, especially being hosted just prior to the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka next month.
The Super50, which bowled off here on February 7 and concludes next Saturday, is the first domestic regional tournament to be staged by CWI since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the Caribbean last march.
“The Super50 Cup is a really important tournament for us. It will lead in nicely to the One-Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka which, obviously, forms part of the World Cup qualifiers for 2023,” Grave explained.
“So it's really important for the players that they've been given this opportunity to play some cricket for the selectors to get to see them up close and personal.
“Hopefully we can take those matches as preparation into the ODI series because it's really important on the back of losing all three in Bangladesh that we can bounce back and get up that Super League table, so that we don't have to go through the qualification for the next World Cup.”
The first-class championship was the last tournament to be staged by CWI and that was aborted last March with two rounds remaining, due to the threat of the coronavirus.
And while the Caribbean Premier League went ahead in August and September in Trinidad, the Super50 Cup remained off the table.
Eminem's "Lose Yourself" notches 1 billion steams on Spotify
Not many songs get to boast about being streamed a billion times, but when it comes to Eminem's breakout 2002 hit "Lose Yourself," the song has been dropping bombs on Spotify.
"Lose Yourself" continues to earn the rapper win after win. The Grammy and Academy Award-winning song officially surpassed a billion streams on Spotify.
Eminem took to Twitter to celebrate the major milestone, writing, "You can do anything you set your mind to, man... $LoseYourself is over 1 billion on @Spotify."
The 48-year-old artist also included a movie reel highlighting the single's numerous accolades over the years, starting with the song becoming his first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Lose Yourself" was the title track of 8 Mile, Eminem's 2002 semi-autobiographical movie. The movie's soundtrack also bowed atop the Billboard 200 when it hit shelves.
"Lose Yourself" later made history when it won the Oscar for Best Original Song, becoming the first hip hop song to do so. It also collected Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance. It was also nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media.
The song later earned certified-Diamond status from the RIAA, of which in 2014 he became the first artist in the recording agency's history to earn two digital diamond awards.
Source-ABC
PJ Morton, H.E.R., Yolanda Adams and more to perform at the Black Music Collective pre-Grammy event
The Recording Academy has announced PJ Morton, H.E.R., Yolanda Adams and more artists as performers for the Black Music Collective's pre-Grammy event.
According to a press release, the new initiative will celebrate Black creators and professionals and their influential contributions to the music industry, including a performance from Grammy-nominated rapper and producer Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist.
"As the first of its kind, we created this event with every intention to amplify Black voices and each of our experiences within the industry," said Harvey Mason Jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "The BMC will continue to foster a space for members and industry professionals to educate and elevate Black creators during GRAMMY Week and beyond."
The BMC event will also reflect on the contributions of industry executives, including Universal Music Group's Jeff Harleston, songwriting veteran Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones and former BET chief Debra Lee.
Viewers can also look forward to fireside chats regarding the Black experience in the wake of social justice with John Legend, Janelle Monáe, activist Tamika Mallory, and the multi-hyphenated actor, producer and director, Issa Rae. Together, the culture icons will discuss topics such as "the impact of Black music, the culture shifting power of Black music, impact of Black women in music, and the power, purpose, and progress of the state of Black music."
Tune into the virtual Black Music Collective event Wednesday, March 10 at 8 p.m. ET on Grammy.com.
Source-ABC
PAHO director says the Americas should be a 'global priority' for COVID-19 vaccines
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne yesterday described the Americas, which includes the Caribbean, as the “epicentre” of the COVID-19 pandemic and called on the international community to make regional access to vaccines “a global priority”.
“The life-saving power of vaccines should not be a privilege for the few, but a right for all – especially the countries at greatest risk like those in the Americas, which remain the epicentre of the pandemic,” she said during her weekly media briefing. “Our region needs vaccines as soon as possible, and as many as possible, to save lives.”
Asserting that the Americas has been the region hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said “millions remain vulnerable to infection and death”.
While 28 countries have started providing COVID-19 vaccines through bilateral deals with manufacturers or small donations from other countries, “that is not enough, and it is not acceptable,” the PAHO director said.
Countries receiving COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX — the global mechanism working to ensure equitable access — will receive hundreds of thousands of doses in the next few weeks. PAHO's Revolving Fund has been leading efforts on behalf of regional countries to purchase vaccines through that facility.
Despite the steps being taken to deliver vaccines as quickly as possible, Dr Etienne said, “We are still way behind where we should be as a region.”
“That is why we are urging the global community to make COVID vaccinations in the Americas a global priority, as it is where the need and risk are greatest,” she said.
The initial distributions of COVAX-procured vaccines to countries in the region will cover about two to 2.5 per cent of the population.
Although noting that pandemic conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean are mixed, Dr Etienne said: “I want to emphasise that we are certainly not out of the woods.”
In many countries, infection is still growing. In the Caribbean, Barbados, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Turks and Caicos Islands are reporting a rise in new infections.
“To control the virus, we must remain vigilant and committed to the public health measures we know are effective — especially as new variants circulate in the region and may increase the burden on our health systems,” Dr Etienne said. “That is why PAHO continues to monitor the virus' spread in our region for any changes in transmission, and why countries must continue to practice social distancing, wear masks and avoid mass gatherings.”
Dr Etienne provided assurance that COVID vaccines procured through COVAX are safe and effective. The vaccines — evaluated rigorously and thoroughly by WHO and, in many cases, by national regulatory authorities — have been shown to dramatically reduce possibilities of severe symptoms.
“Through the power of vaccines, our region has eliminated smallpox, polio, rubella and measles,” the PAHO director said. “With COVID-19, it's no different: safe and effective vaccines will help us turn the tide of this pandemic, but only if we can reach those most vulnerable, no matter where they live or who they are. And we will still need to maintain the proven public health measures of testing, contact tracing, quarantine, physical distancing, hand hygiene, and masks until the pandemic recedes.”
Source-CMC
Diana Ross says she has new music on the way: "I just completed singing 14 new songs"
Just a couple weeks after the sad news that her former Supremes band mate Mary Wilson had suddenly passed away, Diana Ross has revealed that she's recently recorded more than a dozen new songs.
The Motown legend posted a message on her social media sites today that reads, "Life is about change, and this time has, in many ways, been a gift of Reflection and Gratefulness. My Love and Gratitude has never been stronger. It seems it will be another year before I am able to tour again. I will always continue singing. Songs of Love and Appreciation…I just completed singing 14 new songs. 'Thank you' for your Love and Friendship. Coming soon."
Earlier in the week, Diana posted another note explaining that she missed performing so much, and that she was "recording new music and songs in my home studio."
Ross' last studio album to date, I Love You, was released in 2006, although a series of hit dance remixes of her classic songs have been issued in recent years.
Source-ABC
Tina Turner opens up about the ups and downs of her career in new documentary trailer
A new trailer for HBO's Tina Turner documentary, Tina, has just been released detailing the ups and downs of the legendary singer.
According to a press release, Tina takes an "intimate look at the life and career of musical icon Tina Turner, charting her improbable rise to early fame, her personal and professional struggles throughout her life and her even more improbable resurgence as a global phenomenon in the 1980s."
The trailer features footage from Turner's memorable performances, including "Proud Mary," personal stories about her childhood and her mother, as well as clips of her ex-husband, Ike Turner, with whom she shared a tumultuous marriage for 16 years.
"I'm a girl from a cotton field that pulled myself above the destruction and the mistakes," says Turner in the trailer.
Tina will also offer archival footage and new interviews with the 81-year-old. For her musical contributions, Turner was recently announced alongside Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, and Mary J. Blige, as one of 16 superstar acts in the running for induction into the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Tina was previously inducted in 1991 as half of Ike and Tina Turner, but this is her first time as a solo artist.
Tina debuts Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m. EST on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.