Newsletter Feb 18, 2021

Major snow storms and a brutal polar vortex have gripped the country and frozen COVID relief efforts. Worse yet, the forecast says there's more to come.

3 Things

Winter takes all: A nation already in crisis finds itself increasingly crippled by a historic week for winter weather. Massive snow storms on both coasts and a bitterly cold polar vortex cutting through the middle of the country have proven deadly and potentially deadlier.
The relentless winter weather has plagued the country's COVID vaccination program, with at least 40 states forced to cancel their plans to inoculate millions Wednesday. Vaccination schedules will continue to be fluid as issues with transportation and supply arise.
Weather problems have dipped as far south as Florida, where inoculations were canceled over logistical delays. Farther west along the Gulf Coast, Texas has been paralyzed by power outages and freezing temperatures that have claimed at least 10 lives so far.
Not to kick a country when it's down, but the weather forecast calls for more frozen precipitation today from the Midwest to the Northeast as the Deep South remains in the chilly grips of the polar vortex.
FIND OUT WHAT'S NEXT FOR A NATION IN NEED OF A BREAK

Power play: It's difficult to fathom how a state that produces twice as much energy as any other can find itself in the position that Texas as winter weather and power shortages have created a major crisis.
Millions of Texans remain without power while the winter weather once again takes aim at the Lone Star State. Long lines at heating shelters and grocery stores have caused problems for residents to stay warm and fed. It seems the only things heating up in Texas are tempers as residents are wondering how such a thing could happen.
The emergency situation also has turned political, as Gov. Greg Abbott has called for an investigation and is pointing the finger at the state's growing reliance on wind turbines and solar panels. State Rep. Beto O'Roarke fired back at Abbott for lying to pass the buck.
But there have been some positive stories to come out of the crisis as neighbors are helping neighbors survive the brutal the cold spell. Texans are even helping rescue animals as volunteers along the Gulf Coast pitched in to save thousands of freezing sea turtles.
It seems everything really is bigger in Texas -- even their hearts.
SEE HOW TEXANS ARE COPING WITH THE POWER OUTAGES

Rush reaction: Whether you loved him or hated him (and there were few who fell in between), there's no denying the impact radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh had on modern media and politics.
Limbaugh died at the age of 70 following a lengthy and polarizing career that saw him revolutionize the airways. His fiery rhetoric and anti-liberal message resonated with a segment of middle America that felt a disconnect from the folks they sent to Washington, D.C.
Limbaugh was a lightning rod that set the stage for the current climate of divisiveness and antagonism, but it was his impact on the media that may be his legacy. His controversial comments were the precursors to a new role for the media that now target-markets and caters the news to suit the perspective of the consumer.
Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year, but a large segment of the population will remember him for anything but freedom. His anti-gay, anti-woman and pro-conspiracy views over the years both shocked and attracted millions of listeners.
READ THE WIDE-RANGING REACTION TO LIMBAUGH'S DEATH

Markets

DJIA	31,613.02	0.29%
S&P 500	3,931.33	-0.03%
Nasdaq Composite	13,965.49	-0.58%
Japan: Nikkei 225	30,236.09	-0.19%
UK: FTSE 100	6,710.90	-0.56%
Crude Oil Futures	61.75	1.00%
Gold Futures	1,781.90	0.51%
Yen	105.91	0.03%
Euro	1.20	0.03%
* As of market close

Where's the beef?

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has a major beef with the meat industry, and he's calling on people to vote with their stomachs by turning away from animal-based meat to the new 100% synthetic alternative.

Citing the environmental impact of factory meat processing plants and methane gas production of cattle farms, Gates cited the new forms of plant-based beef as a possible solution to several ethical and ecological problems. He says wealthier nations should set the meat-free example.

â€œI do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef," Gates said in an interview. "You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is theyâ€™re going to make it taste even better over time."

Gates praised the work by Impossible and Beyond Meat for developing and mass producing plant-based beef, sausage and other animal-free alternatives that have made their way to grocery stores and fast-food chains across the country. Early reviews have been mixed as some claim to miss the "real meat" and others say they can't taste the difference.

SEE WHAT GATES HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE ROLE OF FAKE MEAT

Proceed to park

Technology is turning the most mundane of human activities into snap for savvy users, and minor tasks like looking and paying for a parking spot are the latest to enter the 21st century thanks to Google Maps.

Drivers already use the app to get around and find obscure locations, and Google Maps will give you directions to the front doorstep of your destination. But what about the challenge of finding a nearby parking spot? Or finding exact change to feed a meter or enter a parking garage?

Those are just two more "first-world problems" that are coming to your fingertips as Google Maps implements the technology.nationwide. But the breakthrough will come as soon as Google makes the app available for iPhone users. The app is currently only functional for Android users.

The program is already available in more than 400 cities, including New York, Chicago and L.A., and will soon be anywhere paid parking is required. Now all we need is for Google to run our errands for us.

FIND OUT HOW TO USE GOOGLE MAPS TO PARK AND PAY

Martian mystery

Earthlings took one giant leap closer to answering one of the questions that humans have wondered for centuries -- "Is there life on Mars?"

Or more specifically, has the Red Planet ever been home to forms of life? That what NASA's Perseverance will be looking to discover after touching down on the Martian surface today.

Of course, this is all riding on the "seven minutes of terror" the spacecraft must survive while entering the Martian atmosphere at 12,500 mph. Once operational, the rover will search for signs of microbes that might have existed on Mars billions of years ago, when the atmosphere was more conducive to supporting life.

In addition to solving the interplanetary riddle, NASA will get the opportunity to test out some of the highest-tech equipment to exit the Earth's atmosphere. The SUV-like Perseverance is equipped with robotic arms, 19 cameras, two microphones, and other cutting-edge tools designed to collect evidence and safely return home with it in 2030.

CHECK OUT THE DETAILS OF THE MISSION AND HOW TO WATCH